Internet and telephone voting

1. A Voter Information Letter arrives in the mail

   It is sent by first class mail, sealed and addressed to you personally, and contains your PIN, the phone number and web address to vote, instructions, the voting dates and hours, and the location of the assistance centres and voter help desk.

   Letters are issued in English only.

   You must be on the Voters' List to receive one. Check or update your registration at vreg.registertovoteon.ca.

2. Vote any time in an eleven-day window

   Voting runs continuously from 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 16 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026. There is no separate advance voting day — the whole period is open.

3. Cast your ballot by phone or online

   By phone: call the number in your letter from a touch-tone phone. Rotary phones will not work.

   Online: go to the web address in your letter. The system runs on a platform called Voatz, contracted by the City.

   After you make your selections the system reads back your choices and lets you change or confirm them. You can also formally decline to vote.

   Your PIN works once. Once you have completed every race on your ballot it cannot be used again.

If your PIN does not arrive

This is a normal situation with a normal fix. If you are on the Voters' List and your letter is lost, never arrived, or you cannot access it, go to any Voter Assistance Centre. An election official will verify you, disable the old PIN, and issue a new one.

If you want help voting

Assistance centres have phones and internet access you can use, and they are open October 22, 23, 24 and 26. You may bring a support person or an interpreter, or ask an election official for help — an oath may be required first. Officials also attend institutions and retirement homes on arranged dates. Voting in person: locations, dates and hours.

The City states the internet voting system meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA, the standard required under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and the Clerk must report on accessibility barriers within 90 days after voting day.

Where the authority for this comes from

Voting by internet and phone in Barrie is not an administrative habit: it rests on a specific council decision. On November 4, 2019, council passed By-law 2019-092 unanimously, amending the City's 1995 voting-equipment by-law "to authorize the use of internet and telephone as alternative voting methods". The same decision (General Committee item 19-G-280, October 7, 2019) authorized the Clerk to procure election services outside the standard process, including an external auditor to perform a security audit if internet or telephone voting is used, funded from the Election Reserve. The audit and zero-count verification steps that decision anticipated are described in the 2026 procedures document cited below.

Source: City Council Minutes, November 4, 2019 (Final), City of Barrie — City Council, dated November 4, 2019. Original document. Passes By-law 2019-092, amending the 1995 voting-equipment by-law (95-171) "to authorize the use of internet and telephone as alternative voting methods" — carried unanimously. The substance came through General Committee item 19-G-280 (October 7, 2019, staff report LCS019-19), which also authorized a non-standard procurement for election services including an external auditor to perform a security audit, funded from the Election Reserve. This is the legal foundation of the 2026 internet and telephone election. Retrieved August 9, 2026.

What running the election costs

The 2026 budget funds the election with a $570 thousand draw from the City's Election Reserve — the same reserve the 2019 decision above named to pay for the external security audit. The budget book itemizes some of what that year brings: $120 thousand more for election mailouts and voter notices, $70 thousand to lease election equipment, and $78 thousand in advertising to explain the new ward boundaries. The reserve fills between elections precisely so an election year does not spike the levy.

Source: Service Areas — Tax Rate (2026 Business Plan & Operating Budget), City of Barrie. Original document. Retrieved August 9, 2026.

The election figures are in the Legislative & Court Services section of that document.

Who can vote

On voting day you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and either a resident of Barrie or an owner or tenant of land in Barrie (or the spouse of such an owner or tenant) — and not prohibited from voting under the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. That is the Act's own wording; since 2005 “spouse” includes married same-sex spouses.

The Clerk's procedures state the same qualification in older words: “Resides in the local municipality, or is the owner or tenant of land in the local municipality, or the spouse, or same-sex partner of such a person” (§7.1(c)). “Same-sex partner” is a category Ontario statutes retired in 2005, when “spouse” became inclusive; the procedures carry the pre-2005 phrasing. We quote both so neither document is misrepresented. If the difference matters to your situation, ask the election office directly.

Owning property in more than one municipality does not let you vote more than once for the same office.

Sources: Internet and Telephone Voting Election Policies and Procedures for the City of Barrie 2026 Municipal and School Board Elections, City of Barrie — Clerk / Returning Officer, dated May 29, 2026. Original document. The document states it is prepared for convenience only and directs readers to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Most of the /vote/ pillar comes from this one document. 2026 Municipal Election, City of Barrie. Original document. The City’s own election hub, and the authority this site points readers to for anything that decides whether or how their vote counts. All retrieved August 9, 2026.

This page draws on §§7, 9, 11, 12 and 21 of the procedures document.

That procedures document says it is "prepared for the purposes of convenience ONLY" and directs readers to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 for the authoritative text. Anything on this page that affects whether or how your vote counts should be confirmed with the City's election office: Be.Counted@barrie.ca or (705) 728-VOTE (8683).