OLDS —Olds town councillor Heather Ryan says she is “appalled” by a decision by the provincial government to eliminate the use of electronic voting machines in elections.
The next municipal election is slated to occur on Oct. 2, 2025.
Ryan made her comments during town council’s July 8 meeting as council received a letter from Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver.
“We are strengthening public trust in local elections by eliminating the use of electronic tabulators,” McIver wrote.
“It is important for Albertans to feel they can trust the methods and results of local elections and requiring ballots to be counted by hand will give Albertans that assurance.”
Ryan said, “I’ve never seen or heard anybody coming forward with any evidence that showed that there was a problem with these electronic voting machines, so I’m not sure where they’re coming from on this.
“All they’ve done is taken us back a step into the ice age before technology.
“And the province is really – as far as I’m concerned – doubling our expense for elections and putting that on our taxpayers. Not just doubling the expense, but additional time it would take to count each vote by hand. It’s ridiculous, I think.
“I don’t know where they’re coming from with this and frankly, I still think we should continue to question (this) whenever we get a chance to get in front of the minister."
McIver’s letter came after Olds council voted to send a letter to his office, expressing the concern of Olds council and other municipalities regarding the provincial government’s Bill 20.
Passed in the legislature this spring, among other things, Bill 20 allows the establishment of political parties in Calgary and Edmonton, despite widespread opposition to the concept among municipal leaders.
The law also gives the provincial government more authority to fire elected municipal council members and veto municipal bylaws.
“I just think that this is a form letter that they sent out to all the communities or municipalities that had a concern about this,” Ryan said.
Mayor Judy Dahl thanked Ryan for her comments.
Council voted to receive McIver’s letter as information.
