Election/Polling Day

Automated Voting Procedure

Optical Scanning

Ballots

Voting

Scrutineers

Polling Locations

Fort Rouge Ward

River Heights Ward

Daniel McIntyre Ward

St. James Ward

Charleswood-Fort Garry Ward

St. Charles Ward

Point Douglas Ward

Old Kildonan Ward

Mynarski Ward

North Kildonan Ward

Elmwood Ward

Transcona Ward

St. Boniface Ward

St. Vital Ward

St. Norbert Ward

Hospital Polls

Results Reporting

Automated Voting Procedure

In accordance with the provisions of The City of Winnipeg Act, the City of Winnipeg will again be utilizing automated voting for the 1998 Civic Election. The City of Winnipeg first utilized an AUTOMATED VOTING SYSTEM for the 1995 Civic Election.

The system chosen has been widely used throughout the world and is manufactured by the worlds leading vendor of voting technology. This system is currently in use in over 20 other Canadian cities.

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The system is predicated on a paper-based ballot system using OPTICAL SCANNING technology to determine voter intention. A paper-based ballot system is user-friendly and provides for appropriate audit control. The system will allow the Election Officer to insert the voters ballot directly into an optical scanner/ballot box which will record the votes immediately and will reject the ballot if marked in an invalid manner, and allow the voter to cast a proper ballot. Ballots in which voters have marked more candidates than allowed will be considered invalid as well as ballots which have not been marked whatsoever. After the 8:00 p.m. closing, the optical scanner will provide a printed report identifying the detail of the votes cast. Election results will be reported by the Returning Officer within 90 minutes of the closing of the polls.

The VOTING MACHINE is made up of an optical scanner mounted on a large ballot box. Each optical scanner contains a MEMORY PACK which records the details of all ballots inserted into the optical scanner. Once the polls close, the MEMORY PACK prints out a tabulation of the votes cast and the MEMORY PACK is taken from the voting machine and transported to Election Headquarters, at the Council Building, Civic Centre, 510 Main Street. The contents of each MEMORY PACK are electronically read into the Central Tabulation Unit, which compiles the results of all races. Once all MEMORY PACKS have been read into the central tabulation unit, the election results will become available.

Modem technology will also be utilized on a pilot basis for some locations, to transmit MEMORY PACK information electronically, directly from the polling location to Election Headquarters.

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At least one VOTING MACHINE will be present in each polling location (see Appendix "B", for Voting Locations). Each eligible voter will receive one paper ballot containing all three races to be voted on; Office of the Mayor, Office of Councillor and Office of School Trustee. Each race is colour-coded; Office of the Mayor - white, Office of Councillor - pink, and Office of School Trustee - yellow. The candidates names will appear in alphabetical order. If a voter is not eligible to vote for School Trustee, the ballot will only contain the Offices of Mayor and Councillor.

The voter marks his or her vote on the paper ballot by joining the arrow pointing to the candidate(s) of choice for each of the races. As in previous elections, voters will need to choose one candidate each for the Office of Mayor and Councillor, and multiple candidates for the Office of School Trustee. Voters will mark their ballots with black felt marker pens which will be provided in the voting booths.

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Once the voter has made his or her choices, he or she will bring the ballot (in the secrecy sleeve provided) over to the VOTING MACHINE where it will be inserted. The VOTING MACHINE will determine if the ballot is valid. A ballot can be invalid if too many candidates are chosen in a particular race, or is left blank. If the machine determines the ballot is invalid, the machine immediately returns the ballot to the voter, who can request a new ballot. This process takes place in less than one second after the ballot is inserted. The VOTING MACHINE informs the voter what type of error was made, and the voter can then receive a new ballot from the Deputy Returning Officer.

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A SCRUTINEER is a representative of the candidate, 18 years of age and duly authorized by a candidate to observe voting and the count at the poll. A maximum of TWO scrutineers are permitted for any one poll and may be present together or replace one another. If a scrutineer is intended to visit more than one poll in any one polling location, it is necessary for the candidate to provide written authorization for each poll. As well, a candidate is entitled to appoint two persons to act as scrutineers-at-large to attend at the polling locations.
Authorization forms have been included with the material supplied to duly nominated candidates.

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Polling Locations

FORT ROUGE WARD

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RIVER HEIGHTS WARD

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DANIEL MCINTYRE WARD

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ST. JAMES WARD

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CHARLESWOOD-FORT GARRY WARD

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ST. CHARLES WARD

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POINT DOUGLAS WARD

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OLD KILDONAN WARD

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MYNARSKI WARD

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NORTH KILDONAN WARD

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ELMWOOD WARD

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TRANSCONA WARD

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ST. BONIFACE WARD

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ST. VITAL WARD

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ST. NORBERT WARD

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The Returning Officer will provide a SPECIAL POLL in hospitals within the City, in which the patients of the hospital who are eligible voters may vote.

A SPECIAL POLL will be provided in the following City Hospitals:

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Results Reporting

At the closing of polls, 8:00 p.m., Election Day, an ELECTION OFFICER will program the voting machine to tabulate the votes cast, providing a print-out on-location. The Memory Pack from each Voting Machine will then be transported to ELECTION HEADQUARTERS, City Hall, 510 Main Street.

Modem technology will also be utilized on a pilot basis for some locations, to transmit MEMORY PACK information electronically, directly from the poll location to Election Headquarters.

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1998 The City of Winnipeg