Elections Canada wants to know more about electronic ballots for absentee voters

A voter casts a ballot in the 2011 federal election in Toronto on May 2, 2011. Elections __canada is exploring the potential of an electronic ballot delivery system to speed up the process for absentee voters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

OTTAWA — Elections Canada is exploring the potential of an electronic ballot delivery system to speed up the process for absentee voters.

The agency is calling it a fact-finding exercise to learn more from potential suppliers on how to design a system that would allow voters unable or unwilling to vote on election day or at advance polls to download and print a ballot — instead of waiting for one to show up in the mail.

"Elections Canada is seeking information on tools and technologies currently available in the market that could help improve the special ballot vote-by-mail service we currently offer," Melanie Wise, a spokeswoman for the agency, wrote Monday in an email.

"Specifically, this could involve electronic delivery of a blank ballot, which voters can print on paper, mark by hand and return to Elections Canada by postal mail."

That would include people with disabilities, or living away from home, as well as anyone who does not want to vote the regular way.

Those who are serving in the Canadian Forces, or who are behind bars, also use a special ballot, but this is not done by mail.

Canada Elections Act would need to be amended before any changes could actually take place.

A proposal to allow absentee voters the option to download an electronic ballot was among a series of recommendations from Marc Mayrand, who retired as chief electoral officer last year.

"This would mean that these electors would not have to wait for a special ballot kit by mail, thereby increasing the likelihood that their ballots will reach Elections Canada on time to be counted," Mayrand wrote in his report.

This would be different from online voting, which Elections Canada has no plans to implement without clear direction from Parliament.

The House of Commons committee on electoral reform was tasked with examining online voting, but ended up advising the Liberal government not to go ahead with it.

Mayrand had urged caution when he appeared before the committee last July, arguing that while no one could deny online voting would benefit many Canadians, it would also raise challenges regarding "the integrity and secrecy of the vote."

Still, the committee did recommend that Elections Canada explore the use of technologies to increase the accessibility of the vote.

Wise said this initiative could end up paving the way for other changes later.

"Offering electronic delivery of blank special ballots is one way for the agency, parliamentarians and voters to get more familiar with voting technology," Wise wrote.

"This experience can help inform deliberations about future online electoral services," she wrote.

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Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said the military and people in jail would be covered. In fact, these groups do vote by special ballot, but not by mail-in ballot.