In an effort to expedite the ballot counting process, the City of Estevan will use an automated voting system for the upcoming byelection.
Council passed a bylaw at Monday's meeting that will allow them to use the AccuVote electronic vote counting system April 23.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said the suggestion came from city clerk Judy Pilloud, who felt the byelection to select a new member of council was a good time to test the AccuVote system.
Ludwig added the City of Regina has agreed to allow Estevan to use their system for the election at no cost and will also supply an employee to train those involved with the election locally.
"We are thankful for that," said Ludwig, who added if all goes well the City would consider purchasing the system for themselves.
Ludwig added the rationale behind using the system is simple - the old process of paper ballots created a lengthy counting process. For example, during the last municipal election it was midnight before the final results were available. With AccuVote he said they could have results within an hour.
As for the voting process itself, Ludwig said, "there is a person that will help each individual vote because you have to slide (the ballot) in a certain way. It is kept secret between pages and they transfer it after you vote into the back of the box, which is sealed. It's really cutting edge technology."
Ludwig added the AccuVote system is 99.9 per cent accurate and is also tamper proof.
As for the election itself, an advance poll for those unable to vote on April 23 will be held at City Hall on April 16 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30.
On election day, the polling station will be located at the Church of God on Wellock Road from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Along with approving the use of automated vote counting, council also approved the wording of the two questions that will be included on the ballot.
Question one will read: Should the City of Estevan continue to add fluoride to the drinking water? The second question is: Do you support casino development in the City of Estevan? Both questions will have a simple yes or no answer.
