Hamilton City Council recently voted down a staff recommendation to implement online voting for the Ward 8 (West/Central Mountain) by-election and the 2026 municipal election.
The Ward 8 by-election will be held on Sept. 22, 2025, to fill the seat vacated by John-Paul Danko, who is now a Member of Parliament.
The next municipal election is Oct. 26, 2026.
The recommendation from city staff to implement online voting failed on a 5-9 vote after significant debate.
The issue was originally brought forward at the city’s Audit, Finance, and Administration Committee, but failed on a 4-4 vote.
However, Councillor Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton) brought the issue forward again for reconsideration at a City Council meeting, which includes all municipal politicians.
The City of Hamilton successfully piloted online voting for the 2025 Ward 4 (Hamilton East) Trustee by-election.
During that by-election, more than 45 per cent of the votes – 213 votes total – were cast online.
The city said that, in the Ward 4 by-election, “the rigorous testing and implementation phases that were accomplished were instrumental in increasing access to voting opportunities for Ward 4 electors throughout the holiday season, and despite extreme cold weather on voting days.”
“Staff recommend the use of online voting for the city’s municipal election and by-election for the purposes of increasing accessibility and providing alternative voting methods to voters,” their report reads.
Staff also note that 58 per cent of municipalities in Ontario used online voting in the 2022 municipal election, and, although “research has not concluded that alternative voting methods increase voter turnout, the convenience and accessibility that it allows electors is a major factor for consideration.”
Hamilton’s City Clerk Matthew Trennum told Council that there were no issues with the online voting system during the Ward 4 trustee by-election.
The city used a company called Neuvote Systems Inc.
Staff added in their report that the use of online voting could also lead to cost savings, as it reduces the number of staff needed, the number of polling locations required, and printing costs.
However, multiple councillors expressed concerns with voting online, particularly in the wake of the city’s cyberattack last year.
Councillor Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain) told Council, “We’ve just been through a $50-million-plus cyber attack in our city. Are we serious? We want to risk online voting at a time we’ve just been through spending over $50 million of taxpayer money due to a cyber attack.”
He said he wants more advanced voting opportunities instead.
Councillor Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek) added, “Elections are not just about getting people out to vote. Elections are about having an evidence-based process so that the public has trust in the vote.”
Councillor Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre) argued that online voting is worth it in order to increase voting accessibility.
“If the website is something that enables [voting accessibility], then we need to stop fearmongering and instead enable participation. It’s our obligation to address accessibility needs,” she argued.
Meanwhile, Councillor Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona) said he was “initially supportive” of online voting but does not think that Council has the “buy-in” of residents, particularly after a survey found that 80 per cent of citizens do not trust the city.
“If we can’t retain the trust and confidence of our citizens now in this moment, I don’t see us having the buy-in to be able to undertake this.”
After the debate, the motion was defeated.
VOTING RESULTS
IN FAVOUR OF ONLINE VOTING (5): Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4 – Hamilton East), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough)
AGAINST ONLINE VOTING (9): Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale), Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain), Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain), Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona), Craig Cassar (Ward 12 – Ancaster-West Flamborough), Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain), Ted McMeekin (Ward 15 – East Flamborough-Waterdown)
ABSENT (1): Mayor Andrea Horwath
VACANT (1): Ward 8 – West/Central Mountain
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
