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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLK 04-18G(, 6 DICKERING Report to Council Report Number: CLK 04-18 Date: December 10, 2018 From: Paul Bigioni Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review - File: A-2000-001-18 Recommendation: 1. That Report CLK 04-18 from the Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor regarding the 2018 Municipal Election, be received for information and that Report CLK 04-18 be referred to when making any decisions regarding the 2022 Municipal Election. Executive Summary: Report CLK 04-18 provides a review of the 2018 Municipal Election and as per section 12.1 (2) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the report provides information on the identification, removal and prevention of barriers that affect electors and candidates with disabilities. Financial Implications: There are no financial implications arising from this report. Discussion: In accordance with By-law 7549/17, the City of Pickering conducted the 2018 Municipal Election by Internet/Telephone voting. The City engaged Dominion Voting Inc. to assist with the conduct of the election. Internet/Telephone voting provided eligible electors on the Voters' List to cast an electronic ballot from their computer, tablet or smartphone from any location provided they had access to an internet connection. Eligible electors were also able to cast an audio ballot from a touch tone telephone. With Internet/Telephone voting, eligible electors were able to vote at any time during an eight-day voting period. Each eligible elector on the Voters' List received an individual Voter Information Letter before the start of the voting period in September. The Voter Information Letter was mailed to eligible electors in a secure envelop and included an identification number and a PIN. Each elector was required to enter the identification number, PIN, a third piece of personal information (year of birth), and a CAPTCHA verification text to sign in to the voting system to cast a ballot. The Dominion Voting System also featured a Language Management option which enabled each elector to choose English or French for their voting preference and supported a minimum of WCAG 2.0 Level A accessibility standard to ensure compatibility with all market leading screen readers and web accessible devices. CLK 04-18 December 10, 2018 Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review Page 2 Logistics and Accuracy Testing Prior to the election, the Clerk's Office, with the assistance of IT staff, conducted a logic and accuracy test, which was essentially a mock up election, to ensure that the voting system was fully functional. The City of Pickering also collaborated with other municipalities to conduct Third Party Penetration Tests, by an independent third party, to verify the integrity of the voting system and the voter list management system. Communication Plan A Communication Plan was designed to promote the advantages of Internet/Telephone voting through the City's website and social media, noting the ease, convenience and security of the new voting system. It focused on voters' ability to vote from the comfort of their home, at work, at school for students away from home, avoiding line ups as well as the extended eight-day voting period. The City of Pickering also mailed to every household an information pamphlet in August with key questions and answers and contact information for the electors. In addition, six Voter Assistance Centres were opened throughout the City of Pickering during the Voting Period to assist electors with the voting process, provide information or add electors to the Voters' List. Candidates Information Packages Upon the filing of a Nomination Paper all Candidates were provided with 2018 Municipal Election information which included but not limited to, policies, the Municipal Election Act, voting period information, sign by-law information and contact information. Any additions or changes to information were provided to all Candidates as they became. available. City of Pickering — 2018 Municipal Election Website Page • January 2018 - Clerk's Office staff worked with the City's Communication and Website Coordinators to develop website pages to promote the 2018 Municipal Elections. This included Candidates, Voters and General Information sections. • Mid -April 2018 — Notice to Candidates — May 1, 2018 — First day to file Nomination Papers. • May 2018 — The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) Voter Look -up link was added to the Voter Information section to enable residents to visit voterlookup.ca to find out whether their information was correct for the 2018 Preliminary List of Electors. Here, eligible electors could also update their information, add/delete a name to an address, or change their school support. The MPAC contact information was also provided for further assistance. • September 2018 — Notice to Electors - Did you receive your Voter Information Letter? • October 2018 — Election banners added to the City of Pickering website - Your Vote Counts! Voting period runs from October 15 to 22, 2018. CORP0227-07/01 revised CLK 04-18 December 10, 2018 Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review Page 3 The City's website was updated as required with new information and additional highlights were put in place for significant periods of time in the months leading up to the election (ie. Front Page Banners, Voting Period, Are You On The Voters' List). City of Pickering — Social Media • April 1, 2018 — Messages on City's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media accounts for candidates interested in running for local office and information session. • May 2018 - MPAC Municipal Communications Toolkit resources used to spread the word across the community. Voter Lookup messages/web buttons/widgets were posted on the City's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media sites. • July 20, 2018 to end of August — Social Media — On the List to Vote? (Voter Lookup.ca) • July 23, 2018 — Last day to file a Nomination Paper is July 27, 2018 at 2 pm. • August 20th and September 5, 2018 — Are you interested in working the 2018 Municipal Election? • September 10, 2018 — Did you know that eligible electors will be able to vote from a computer, tablet, telephone or mobile device (link to Dominion Voting video)? • October 2018 — Your Vote Counts! Voting period runs from October 15 to 22, 2018. Visit pickering.ca/election for more info. City of Pickering — Community Outreach • April 2018 — Pickering 101 presentation. • May 2018 — Confirm locations of Special Voting Locations. • Summer 2018 — Voter Lookup buck slips displayed at all front counters at City facilities, including libraries. • Summer 2018 — Staff attended Farmer's Market to promote the Voter Lookup, educate electors on internet/telephone and answer questions about the 2018 Municipal Elections. • August 2018 — 2018 Municipal Election — Frequently Asked Questions brochure mailed to every household in Pickering and displayed at all front counters at City facilities including libraries. • August 2018 - Recruitment for Election Officials • August 2018 — On Hold Messaging — Are you on the Voters' List? • September 2018 — On Hold Messaging — Did you get your Voter Information Letter? • September 24, 2018 — News Release — City of Pickering Mails Official Voter Information Letters to Residents. • October 2018 — On Hold Messaging — Voting Period opens for 2018 Municipal Election. • October 15 to 22 — Voting Period — Curbex signs at Brock Road North & Concession 3, 1015 Bayly Street and Highway 7 and Mowbray Street. • October 15 to 22 — Voting Period — Billboard message at Pickering Recreation Complex • October 15 to 22 — Election Helpline opened till 8:00 pm (Monday to Friday) and 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm (Saturday and Sunday) during the voting period. CORP0227-07/01 revised CLK 04-18 December 10, 2018 Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review Page 4 • October 15 to 22 — Special Voting Locations — Staff attended eight special voting locations to provide assistance with the voting process to the residents at retirement homes and senior living facilities. • October 15 to 22 — Voter Assistance Centres opened at 6 locations throughout the City of Pickering. Dates and times advertised on the City's Website and in Community Page Ads. City of Pickering — Community Page Ads in Pickering New Advertiser • March 28 and April 4, 2018 — 2018 Municipal Election — Notice to Candidates Nominations • May 2018 - Tax bill insert • July 11, 18 and 25, 2018 — Public Notice — Close of Nomination • July 11, 18 and 25, 2018 — Are you on the Voters' List for the 2018 Municipal Election • September 5 and 12, 2018 — Are you interested in working at the 2018 Municipal Election • October 3, 2018 — Voter Information Letters have been mailed. Contact Election Helpline if you did not receive your letter. • October 10 and 17, 2018 — 2018 Municipal Election — List of Voter Assistance Centres Accessible Election As required by the Municipal Elections Act, 1996, the City Clerk is also responsible to ensure that the municipal elections are fully accessible and to identify steps taken for the identification, removal and prevention of barriers that affect electors and candidates with disabilities. Please see below for a listing of initiatives that were undertaken by the City of Pickering to deliver an accessible election. • Ensured that all Voter Assistance Centres were physically accessible to electors with disabilities. • Provided voting opportunities in institutions and retirement homes. • Confirmed with Internet/Telephone voting system provider that technology was fully accessible. • Provided candidates with information on how to make their campaign more accessible. • Provided Election Officials with information/training on accessibility requirements during the election process. Voting Service Interruption During the planning and running of the Municipal Election, every process was reviewed, tested and modified as required so that the integrity of the election was protected. That being said, the City of Pickering along with approximately 50 other Ontario municipalities, experienced an issue with the voting system. Just after 6:00 pm on the last day of the eight-day election period (October 22, 2018), the Internet/Telephone Voting System (IVS) provided by Dominion Voting experienced service disruption of the IVS portal. This disrupted service for approximately 90 minutes. CORP0227-07/01 revised CLK 04-18 December 10, 2018 Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review Page 5 The issue was determined to be the result of a load issue caused by a limit incorrectly placed on incoming traffic to the IVS system by the hosting Internet Service Provider. Once alerted to the issue, the company was able to restore full system service at approximately 8:00 pm. During the interruption, the City of Pickering received many calls from Electors that could not complete the voting process. At around 7:30 pm, Election Officials were made aware that the system was being worked on and that it should be running at full capacity shortly. The City Clerk made the decision to extend the voting hours to 10:00 pm due to the 90 minute disruption of the voting system. Service disruption messages were posted on the City of Pickering's website, and social media as well as broadcasted across TV stations providing election coverage. All phone and counter inquiries were informed of the time extension and 5 of the Voter Assistance Centres hours were extended. At no time were any security -related issues detected or reported regarding Dominion's system. The system itself was not at risk before, during or after the service interruption. Although this disruption prevented some voters from casting their ballot during a 90 minute period on one of eight voting days, City staff are confident that the voting process remained secure and accurate and that extending the voting period for two hours more than compensated for the 90 minute service disruption. Summary The Clerk's Office took all steps necessary to comply with all legislative requirements of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. The City of Pickering chose to change the voting method to an Internet/Telephone Voting system to give voters additional options for how, when and where to vote. This was a new process for Pickering, and City staff are committed to learning from it and making any and all improvements or modifications necessary to ensure that the 2022 municipal election runs smoothly. The following comments were received from eligible electors during and after the voting period, and will form part of the review process for the 2022 Municipal Election: • Include a list of the candidates with the Voter Information Letters. • Provide a detailed listing of the hours of operation for the Voter Assistance Centres. • Provide an alternate voting method, (ie. paper ballot at Voter Assistance Centres). • Technical improvements required for Telephone voting process. • Better promotion of the Internet/Telephone voting system at Seniors' residences. Additional comments that were made but, cannot be conducted by the Municipality, were to host Candidate Debates in the City for residents to learn about the Candidates and their election platforms. Unfortunately, the City needs to stay independent of the campaigning process but, we CORP0227-07/01 revised CLK 04-18 December 10, 2018 Subject: 2018 Municipal Election Review Page 6 could reach out to community associations to assist them with information on how to conduct debates and information sessions for voters. The Clerk's Office will also look at a way to relay additional information in the way of a Candidate Bio to be placed on our website once a nomination has been filed for 2022. Dominion Voting Systems Election Officials will continue to review and analyze the IVS service interruption. City staff remain of the view that Internet/Telephone voting should be an option for the 2022 Municipal Election but, we will also take into consideration concerns expressed about the loss of the paper ballot. Consideration must be given to adding a paper ballot option at Voter Assistance Centres for the 2022 Municipal Election. The City Clerk continues to welcome feedback regarding the 2018 Municipal Election so that the City can improve the conduct of future Municipal Elections. Prepared By: Debbie Shields City Clerk DS:rm Appr•;d/Endorsed By: Paul Bi•io i Director, Corprate Services & City Solicitor Recommended for the consideration of Pickering City Council Tony Prevedel, P.Eng. Chief Administrative Officer pee.. 3, 20! CORP0227-07/01 revised