Town of Windsor, Nova Scotia - Birthpalce of Hockey

Are you interested in the Who, What, When, Where, Why & How's of Electronic Voting?  If so, then you'll want to read these E-Voting Questions & Answers for the 2008 Municipal & School Board Elections.

Q.  Who will get a PIN to vote in the election?
A.  Qualified voters on the official municipal Voter's List supplied by the Province to the municipality will be mailed a PIN.
 

Q.  What if my name is not on the Voters List?
A.  Eligible voters who are not on the official Voters List will have to go to a location designated by the election officials and complete the required form to have their name added to the voters list.  Once this is completed you will be given a PIN by the election officials.

Q.  When should I expect to receive my PIN in the mail?
A.  Individual PINs will be mailed to eligible voters so that they can be received approximately 5 days prior to the first voting day.

Q.  What if I don't get a PIN in the mail by Election Day?
A.  If you are an eligible voter and on the official Voters List, but you did not get a PIN in the mail by Election Day, you can request a replacement PIN.  If the election authorities' records indicate you were sent a PIN in the mail, that original PIN mailed to you will be cancelled and cannot be used to cast a vote in the election.  A replacement PIN will be issued to you if the original PIN has not been voted and you provide identification.
 

Q.  What do I do if I get more than one PIN?
A.  If you received more than one PIN it is because your name appeared on the Voters List more than once.  This rare situation might occur if you changed your place of residence and have been enumerated in both locations. You are only permitted to vote once and you should only cast a vote using the PIN associated with your primary place of residence.  Notify the election officials of the additional PIN and they will cancel this PIN rendering it unusable for the election.

Q.  What if the original PIN has been voted when I apply for a replacement PIN but it wasn't me that voted the PIN.
A.  If the PIN shows that it has been voted, you will have to swear an affidavit that you were not the person who voted the PIN before you will be given a replacement PIN.  This is the same process that is currently used in manual voting if your name has already been crossed off the voters list when you arrive to vote in person.

Q.  Why would I not get a PIN in the mail?
A.  If you didn't get a PIN in the mail one of two things may have happened.  First, your name was not on the official Voters List.  PINs are only mailed to voters whose names appear on the official Voters Lists as supplied by the province.  Secondly, a PIN may have been mailed to you and it has been delayed for some reason in the mail system.

Q.  Can anyone tell how I voted if they know my PIN?
A.  No.  The system does not track how a particular PIN has voted, only that the PIN has been used to cast a vote.
 

Q.  What if I lose or misplace my PIN?
A.  If a voter loses or misplaces their PIN they should contact the Voter Help Line.  The election officials can decide to replace the missing PIN if it has not already been voted.  They will determine if a voter has to travel to a location, sign a form, and then replace the missing PIN, or they can decide to allow Voter Help Line election officials to authenticate the caller and issue a replacement PIN over the phone.  In both cases, the original lost or missing PIN will be cancelled and it will not be able to be voted in the election.
 

Q.  What happens if someone steals my PIN and votes it?
A.  Stealing and opening another person's mail is illegal.  It is also illegal to represent yourself as another person and steal their right to vote in an election.  Both these acts are illegal and have penalties defined by law. 

If you know someone has voted your PIN illegally you should report it to the election officials.  You can obtain a replacement PIN to cast your vote by presenting yourself to the election officials and swearing an affidavit that the PIN assigned to you was not voted by you but by someone else. 

Q.  Once I have my PIN, do I have to register in advance if I want to use either the telephone or the internet to cast my vote?
A.  No, there is no registration required.  During the election period, using your PIN, you can use either the telephone or the internet to cast your vote.

Q.  How do I access the voting system?
A.  Voting instructions will be included in the voter kit mailed to each person on the official Voters List.  Included in this information are instructions on how to access the voting system.  Voters can cast their ballot using the telephone or cell phone by calling a toll free number that will be assigned to voters in the municipality.  Voters using personal computers will use the internet to visit a website that will allow them entry into the voting system where they will cast their vote.

Q.  Once I enter my PIN and start my voting process do I have to complete all the races on the ballot in one session?  For example, what if I am interrupted and have to hang up the phone for some reason or, if I am voting using the internet and have to leave my session?
A.  No, you do not have to vote all the races on your ballot at one time uninterrupted.  You can disconnect from the internet or the telephone and reconnect later, re-enter your PIN, and complete your voting activity at that time.  In fact, if you find it more convenient, you can switch from one method to the other and complete your voting using the other method.  For example, you can start your voting on the internet and at some point close your internet session, and then later re-start the voting process and re-enter your PIN using your phone or cell phone, or come back to vote using the internet, and complete your ballot.

Q.  What happens if I access the voting system and am presented with incorrect candidates for my district?
A.  The list of candidates presented to you as a voter is determined by your place of residence as defined on the Voters List.  If you have moved and your new address was not updated on the Voters List, (and your voter kit and PIN was forwarded to your new address), then you will see the list of candidates associated with your old place of residence.  The voter should call the Voter Help Line and the election officials will authenticate the voter and, if satisfied, can then electronically "re-categorize" the PIN and the correct list of candidates will be presented to the voter once they reconnect to the voting system.

Q.  If I am using the telephone to vote, how will I know what number to press to vote for the candidate of my choice or what if I make a mistake and select a different candidate than I one I want to vote for?
A.  Each time the system presents you with a race to vote, it lists the eligible candidates running for that position and instructs you to select the corresponding number for that candidate.
For example:
"To select John Doe – Press 1."
"To select Jane Doe – Press 2."
"To select John Smith – Press 3."
Once you enter the corresponding number, the system will verify your selection with a statement, and ask you to confirm your selection. 
Example: "You have selected Joe Howe.  To confirm this selection, press the pound (#) key now.  To change your selection press zero (0) now."
If you want to change your selection you would press zero (0) and make your change at this time.  It is only after you have confirmed your selection with the pound key (#) that your vote for that candidate will be "dropped into the ballot box".  You will get a confirmation message once your vote has been deposited in the virtual ballot box. 
Example: "Your selection has been recorded for John Doe."

Q.  Once a vote has been confirmed, can it be changed?
A.  No.  Once a vote has been confirmed it cannot be changed.  This process is the same as dropping the ballot into the ballot box in a traditional paper based election ensuring complete voter anonymity and secrecy of ballot.  The system does not know how the ballot was voted; only that the PIN was used in the election to cast a vote and thus it cannot be removed from the vote count.

Q.  How do I vote if I am away from home, out of town, out of the province, or out of the country?
A.  You can vote during the election voting period using the internet from anywhere in the world.  You can use telephone service and connect to the voting system toll free from anywhere in North America simply by dialing the toll free number contained in your voter kit.

Q.  What if I have a rotary phone at home, no cell phone and don't have a computer with internet service.  How can I vote?
A.  You do not have to vote from home.  You can vote from any location using any phone with touch tone service or from any computer and you can vote in person at polling stations if the election authorities are offering manual voting in concert with the electronic voting options.  The location of the polling stations can be found in the information provided in the voter kit sent to voters.
 

Q.  What do I do if the phone line is busy when I call and try to vote?
A.  If the phone lines are busy, simply hang up and call back a short time later.  The voting system is capable of handling a significant volume of calls simultaneously but there is always the possibility that many voters are attempting to call in the same timeframe.  Voters will be able to connect to the system over the course of many days and it is advisable to vote early in the voting time frame so that there will not be as much contention for the lines as the voting deadline approaches.

Q.  If someone calls me and asks for my PIN, what should I do?
A.  You should treat your voter PIN with the same level of secrecy and confidentially you reserve for your bank card and PIN.  Do not give your PIN to anyone who may call or approach you for the number. 

Q.  If I am a voter with a disability; deafness, blindness, or a mobility disability, can someone help me with the voting process?
A.  Electronic voting obviously allows increased rights of privacy to voters with physical challenges that make traditional voting at polling stations more difficult.  Blind voters can make use of the telephone and deaf voters can use the internet to vote with little or no assistance required from others.  If you need assistance at the polling station to cast your vote the election officials present will be able to assist you.

Q.  What if my cell phone drops the call while I am in the process of voting?
A.  If you lose connection with the voting system while you are in the process of voting, you simply call the 800 number again and re-enter your PIN to continue voting.  The system determines how far into the voting process you have progressed and picks up from the last successfully completed race you voted.  You will not be presented with races that you have already voted, only races that you have not yet successfully voted.

Q.  What do I do if I am not sure if I completed a race or the ballot?
A.  Connect to the voting system and input your PIN.  The system will either start you at the next race you are eligible to complete or it will tell you that you now have an invalid PIN.  The PIN will only be deemed invalid if all the races contained on the ballot have been successfully voted. If you have not completed all the races on the ballot, the system will offer you the opportunity to complete any incomplete races.

If you have further questions please contact the CAO, Louis Coutinho at 902-798-6675 or by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with "Elections 2008" in the subject line.