The B.C. Chamber of Commerce is backing the push for a move to casting local government ballots online thanks to a recommendation from the local group.
A resolution put forward by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce to lobby the province to start Internet voting for the 2018 municipal elections was endorsed as part of the provincial chamber's annual general meeting held in Prince George May 24-26.
"Really, it affects everybody," said P.G. chamber president Cindi Pohl. "We do support a lot of small business and, especially, sole proprietary businesses. For people that are time constrained, it can help them in many ways. It's about creating the opportunity for more people to vote."
The B.C. Elections Act stipulates that all eligible voters must be provided time to vote by their employers. But if someone is the sole employee of their business or the busy business owner, that can make it difficult to get away, said Pohl.
"Governments impact what we do," she said. "The more business people we can get voting is good."
The resolution cited low voter turnout and poor constituent engagement. "Internet voting is a method that reduces many potential barriers and therefore can positively impact engagement," the resolution reads.
In addition to calling for an electronic ballot in 2018, the resolution also recommends changing the necessary legislation to allow for the option of online ballots as well as the establishment of an "independent technical committee to evaluate internet voting systems to ensure the Elections BC criteria are met."
An independent panel on Internet voting studied the concept and made recommendations to the government last February.
The group studied potential benefits and challenges to online ballots and came to the conclusion that the government shouldn't be in any rush to introduce electronic voting in time for the last municipal election.
"The risks of implementing Internet voting in British Columbia outweigh the benefits at this time," said the panel's report. Those risks included ensuring anonymity of voters and the ability to protect against duplicate ballots.
In studying other jurisdictions that use Internet voting, the panel said "other presumed benefits, such as increased turnout and lower cost are not typically realized."
The resolution was one of four the local chamber brought to the floor that was adopted by the B.C. Chamber, which will become part of the group's advocacy mandate.
The others called for provincial improvements to the infrastructure of northern highways, to the highway permit system and that provincial skills training funds be allocated in the north to focus on technological and engineering training.
"Right now there's some issues, especially with the transportation," said Pohl. "We're building on what was already put out by the government and we're just saying 'prioritize it so that way it makes sense.'"
