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Guelph Politico is locally sourced and dedicated to covering the political and cultural scene in the City of Guelph. Est. 2008.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Be Advised - Big Line-ups at the Polls


So much for apathy. The City of Guelph is reporting that some polling stations throughout the city are experiencing - wait for it! - a higher than expected voter turnout. Translation: long lines. If, like me, you left voting till today, then you, like me, might encounter a bit of a wait when you get to the polling station. Another part of the problem is technical (surprise.) as updates to voter lists have been slow to sync up between the main database and computers at polling stations. But on the upside, apparently a lot of us decided to get off our butts and vote!
Here's the city's press release
Guelph, ON, October 27, 2014 – Election staff at voting locations throughout Guelph has been reporting a stronger than expected turnout to City officials today.

In addition the City became aware of a syncing issue with the electronic voters’ list earlier this afternoon, which also lead to an increase in wait times.

“When voters were adding themselves or updating their information at the voting location it was taking longer than expected for their information to update,” says Stephen O’Brien, City Clerk. “Voters were still receiving their ballots, and the issue had no impact on the security of the list or ballots.”

To resolve the issue, the City implemented its backup plan, switching from a mobile desktop application to a web-based version of the same product.

“The switch-over has gone smoothly and is complete,” says O’Brien. “Originally, we opted for the mobile desktop application as it is designed for use at multiple locations. We knew however that the web-based version was there as a backup if needed.

“We would like to assure residents that the syncing issue has no impact on the results reporting,” says O’Brien.

Traditionally, the City had used paper lists at voting locations; however, the electronic list enabled the City to offer residents the option to vote anywhere within their ward.

The City will issue unofficial results as they come in this evening, with official results being issued October 28.

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