News

Canadian political party votes for kiosks

July 7, 2002

TORONTO -- When Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) convenes for its annual convention next January in Toronto, it will be using some new methods to select its party leaders.

The Canadian political party will offer Internet voting and kiosks to its 80,000 eligible members nationally during the NDP convention, which will elect a successor to current party leader Alexa McDonough.

According to the Halifax Daily News, kiosks will be available in the party's convention hall in Toronto for members to get online and vote in the election. Registered party members who do not travel to Toronto can get online and vote using their personal computers. Party members will be given PIN numbers to cast their ballots.

"It's a possibility that the voting may be slower than the old system, but the tabulation will be much faster," Wayne Harding, NDP communications director, told the Daily News.

NDP officials said this was the first instance of Internet voting in Canada that they were aware of. The party has not selected a firm for handling the balloting, but has been in talks with U.S.-based Election.com.

Kiosks were part of an e-voting trial in the UK during May regional elections. But local election officials said the alternative voting methods had little impact on voter turnout (See story: e-voting fails to thrill British electorate).