Internet and telephone voting

Ward 10 voters: your first letter's PIN no longer works — read this

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, add or correct your record through the City's Voter Lookup and Registration Portal at barrie.ca/election. The Elections Ontario tool used earlier in 2026 had closed by September 1.

2. Vote any time in an eleven-day window

   Voting runs continuously from 10 a.m. on Friday, October 16 to 8 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.

   You can log back in with the same PIN until you have voted in every race on your ballot. After that, it no longer works.

If your PIN does not arrive

This is a normal situation with a normal fix. Letters were mailed from the last week of September. If yours has not arrived by October 13, contact the City at (705) 728-VOTE (8683) or Be.Counted@barrie.ca. Whether it never arrived, is lost, or you cannot access it, you can also go to any Voter Assistance Centre with acceptable identification. An election official will verify you, disable the old PIN, and issue a new one. If you have misplaced your letter, the City asks you to call (705) 728-VOTE (8683) or email Be.Counted@barrie.ca straight away, so the old PIN can be deactivated.

A letter addressed to someone who does not live with you: do not open or forward it. Mark it "Return to Sender" and put it back in the mail.

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. 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 this site's how-to-vote pages come from this one document. Retrieved August 9, 2026. 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. Retrieved August 9, 2026. Voter information: "Look out for your voting PIN", City of Barrie. Original document. Letters mailed from the last week of September; no PIN by October 13 means a Voter Assistance Centre with ID; a misplaced letter means calling or emailing at once, which deactivates the old PIN. Pasted from the live page (the City refuses automated fetches). Its "Attention Ward 10 voters" line confirms the misprinted letters. Retrieved October 7, 2026. New City portal makes it easier to check and update voter information, City of Barrie (media release), dated September 1, 2026. Original document. From September 1 the voters' list is checked and corrected through the City's own Voter Lookup and Registration Portal; the Elections Ontario tool used earlier for the 2026 municipal election is closed. Retrieved October 7, 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).