Norwich opts for in-person voting during 2026 municipal elections

Luke Edwards, Post Contributor

Those who wish to cast a ballot in next year’s municipal elections will have to do it in person.

Norwich councillors approved a staff report at the July 8 council meeting that recommended endorsing in-person voting. The report also recommended the use of vote tabulating machines, which have been used in Norwich elections since 2010. It doesn’t appear that mail-in voting will make a return after being used in 2022.

“I still think it’s the most honest, fairest way to calculate the votes,” said Coun. Lynne DePlancke, who supported the in-person recommendation. Those who are away during the election period can always vote by proxy, she added.

A municipality’s clerk is largely responsible for administering local elections. However, councillors can pass bylaws that have to do with the use of technology such as vote tabulating machines, as well as alternative voting methods such as mail-in or phone voting.

Mail-in voting was used in 2022, said clerk Kimberley Armstrong, though not without some opposition.

“(There were) quite a few residents that expressed concerns during the process,” Armstrong said.

“There is familiarity and general comfort amongst residents with this traditional voting process.”

The idea behind including alternate methods is to get more people participating in the electoral process. Turnout in Norwich was 51 per cent, which is higher than the provincial average of just under 33 per cent. This is according to a review by the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario.

“We absolutely want to have as many voters getting their vote across,” said Coun. Shawn Gear.

However, CAO Matt Smith cited some research that found factors other than voting process are the main drivers of turnout.

“There’s a lot of research for Ontario that basically shows that voting method has no impact on turnout whatsoever,” he said. Instead, competitive races for mayor and larger issues tend to drive turnout.

Some councillors had concerns over the use of voting tabulators, though Armstrong said they’ve been in use in Norwich for several elections, and the machines are calibrated and tested before going into use.

Municipal elections in Ontario next take place on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Norwich still has to determine advance poll dates and locations, though Armstrong said they’ll likely be similar to last election.