The Town of Amherstburg will be sticking with the traditional method of in-person voting for the upcoming 2022 municipal election.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, other municipalities have opted for contact free methods like telephone, internet or mail-in voting, but mayor Aldo DiCarlo says residents have made it clear they prefer to cast their ballot in-person.
He says some in the community have expressed concerns over privacy.
"The obvious considerations are mail-in and internet voting as well, but it's not as secure as people coming in and submitting a ballot right there," he continued. "For municipalities who have used the internet, there's been delays in vote counting and questions about the validity of the votes cast."
DiCarlo says voting in-person eliminates any doubt the voter may have.
"People submit a ballot there and it goes through an electronic tabulator so that if the ballot was spoiled or if there is any errors, the voter is told immediately. So I guess the more traditional method is something that most people are comfortable with."
He says the in-person method proved to be quite accurate last election when a challenge was launched.
"There was a challenge last election because there was a close result in one of the positions. This is where the method we've used really shines in that it was recounted and there was really no significant change. So that's something I think most people are comfortable with," DiCarlo said.
The town's 2022 ballot will also feature a referendum question asking residents if they would like to see a ward system put in place for council.
Amherstburg used in-person voting for the 2014 and 2018 election as well after receiving numerous complaints about the mail-in system used in 2010.
The 2022 municipal election is set for October 24.