The following letter was sent to Mayor Milt McIver and the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Council.
Dear Mayor McIver and Council,
We are writing to increase awareness of a looming problem with the voters’ lists for the upcoming municipal elections: that seasonal property owners (who normally vote in Provincial elections somewhere else) do not appear to be on the new lists.
It’s true that Elections Ontario has a website (www.registertovoteon.ca) where property owners can add their names back onto the voters list, but this service will operate only until August 12 and is cumbersome, requiring us to upload proof of ownership.
We’re asking all residents of the municipality, including SEPO members, to check the list, and to go through the steps to get back on the list where we belong.
And we’d ask Council to spread the word that many residents and taxpayers may no longer be on the voters’ list unless they try to get their names added back. We understand that Municipal Clerks in other municipalities, such as Muskoka, are working actively to get the message across.
The standard reminder run every four years to check to see if you’re on the list may not be enough – it will be important to explain why this year is different. Otherwise, a large percentage of potential voters will be disenfranchised and may not discover the problem until voting day, when it may be too late to do anything about it.
Respectfully submitted,
St. Edmunds Property Owners Inc., Executive
David Almack, Kevin Doyle, Dave Hartney, Carrie King, Tom McAfee, Udo Nixdorf and Jack Schenk
