ELECTION PROCEDURES BYLAW AMENDMENT – MAIL BALLOT VOTING

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated March 17, 2026 from the Director of Corporate Administration titled “Election Procedures Bylaw Amendment – Mail Ballot Voting” be received.

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to seek Council’s approval to amend the Election Procedures Bylaw No. 989 to reflect amendments to the Local Government Act which removed restrictions on who may vote by mail ballot.

BACKGROUND:

In 2018, the Town introduced mail ballot voting, and under previous provisions of the Local Government Act, mail ballot voting was limited to electors who expected to be absent from the municipality during advance voting or on general voting day or who had a disability, illness or injury preventing attendance at a voting place.

Recent amendments to the Local Government Act have removed those eligibility restrictions. Local governments are now authorized to provide mail ballot voting more broadly.

The proposed amendment, Bylaw No. 1164, removes subsection 7.2 of the existing bylaw in its entirety, as it contains outdated eligibility language that is no longer consistent with current provincial legislation.

ANALYSIS:

Impacts and implications can be summarized as follows:

Impact Area	Description
Community Impact:	Enhances accessibility and convenience for electors by permitting broader access to mail ballot voting in alignment with recent legislative changes.
Financial Implication:	No significant financial implications with this amendment. Mail ballot administration costs are incorporated into general election budgeting.
Inter-governmental Relations Impact:	Ensures consistency with the Province’s recent amendments to the Local Government Act and maintains legislative alignment with provincial election requirements. No direct impacts are anticipated.

ALIGNMENT:

The recommended option aligns with the Town’s following core guiding documents as follows:

Document	Alignment
Strategic Plan:	Aligns with Council’s commitment to good governance, transparency, and accessible civic participation.
Official Community Plan:	N/A
Other Policy Documents:	N/A

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GOAL:

The desired level of public participation for the recommended option is:

☐ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower ☒ N/A

TIME CRITICAL:

Election related bylaws must be adopted by July 6, 2026 in order to ensure sufficient administrative preparation time and to be in place for the October 17, 2026 General Local Election.

CONCURRENCE:	Initials	Comments
Chief Administrative Officer	SS	I concur with the recommendation.

REVIEWED BY:	Initials
Director of Corporate Administration	EB
Director of Finance	n/a
Director of Development Services	n/a
Director of Engineering	n/a
Director of Protective Services	n/a

ATTACHMENTS:

a) Redlined version of Election Procedures Bylaw No. 989 b) Draft Election Procedures Bylaw No. 989, Amendment Bylaw No. 1164

ELECTION PROCEDURES BYLAW AMENDMENT – MAIL BALLOT VOTING

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT