• Stouffville voters will have access to fewer in-person polling locations for the 2026 municipal election.
  • Council approved up to 10 sites, down from 13 in 2022, but more than Staff’s recommended six.
  • An amendment proposing the four new locations passed narrowly, with Councillors Sherban, Acton, Upton, and Bartley in favour.
  • The decision aims to preserve accessibility and voter participation as online voting is introduced.
  • Additional voting sites will increase election costs, but spending will remain within the Town’s available election reserve.
  • Internet voting, advance voting days, and a likely Vote Anywhere model are expected to help offset fewer polling stations.
  • Opponents questioned the added expense and need, with Mayor Lovatt suggesting the sites will likely be underutilized.

 

Stouffville voters will see fewer in-person polling locations in the 2026 municipal election, though Council ultimately approved more sites than Staff initially recommended after a lengthy debate over access, costs, and the shift to online voting.

Town Staff had recommended six total voting stations, citing the introduction of internet voting and the underutilization of the Town’s 13 polling locations in 2022. That recommendation was outlined in a report presented to Council on Feb. 4, building on a municipal election update tabled early last December.

Councillor Sue Sherban put forward an amendment proposing four additional locations. In a narrow 4-3 vote, Councillors Keith Acton, Richard Bartley, and Rick Upton joined her to add the Clippers Sports Complex, the Stouffville Arena, Barbara Reid Public School, and Willow Springs Winery.

Staff’s Original Recommendations

In the December election update, Staff recommended five polling locations: the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum, Ballantrae Community Centre, 6240 Main St., the Leisure Centre, and the Municipal Offices building. Roving polls will also be established at local long-term care and retirement homes.

Additional options and costs in Wards 2 and 3 were then requested by Council, with three sites examined in detail: Ballantrae Golf Club and Recreation Centre, Barbara Reid Public School, and Eastridge Church.

The Ballantrae Golf Club and Recreation Centre is available on all required dates, but Staff noted the potential need for internet connectivity upgrades to support online voting. With the nearby Ballantrae Community Centre, located roughly 500 metres away, already being upgraded for that purpose, Staff did not recommend pursuing the golf club.

Barbara Reid Public School was also not recommended, with Staff citing feedback received following the recent federal election that identified parking and accessibility concerns. Sherban highlighted the need to provide a polling station for the growing area, and Staff will continue assessing the location’s feasibility following approval of her amendment.

Eastridge Church, by contrast, is available on Election Day and was recommended as an additional polling station. While determining it wasn’t necessary, the Staff report also identified Willow Springs Winery—included in Sherban’s amendment—as a feasible location.

Council Deliberates

Sherban argued the Town was “pulling the trigger too soon” by eliminating more than half of the 2022 polling locations, saying many residents will continue to vote in person even with internet voting available.

In her view, the reduction was “too much of a cutback,” and residents need time to adjust to such a significant shift in election services. She also suggested in-person locations could help educate voters about online voting.

Ward 2 Councillor Maurice Smith refuted Sherban’s amendment, telling her he wished the concerns had been raised sooner. Smith also warned that additional polling locations would push election costs over budget and could disincentivize residents from transitioning to internet voting.

“Four years down the line, you’re going to have exactly the same issue if you allow them to come to all these locations they’ve been coming to for the last 20 or 30 years,” he said. “Spending all this extra money, I’m sorry, you should have talked about that back when we had the discussion about whether we go online or not.”

Sherban defended her position, noting the 2024 decision on voting methods did not specify plans to reduce polling stations. “ If you go back to that report, at no time, nowhere does it say, or did anybody say, that we would be reducing stations,” she said.

“I believe in internet voting, and I support that we need to…go in this direction,” Sherban added, saying it’s just too soon to remove so many voting options.

The December 2025 election update marked the first formal reference to a planned reduction in 2026 polling locations, though the 2024 voting methods report did address the issue. Staff noted then that statistics from other municipalities suggest participation in internet voting will be “sizeable,” and the behavioural shift could “allow the Town to consider changes to the scale and types of facilities and spaces used as voting places.”

Both Sherban and Acton said they would be open to reducing polling stations in future, but only if local data demonstrates the expected shift to online voting.

“At this time, there’s no proof or evidence in our community that internet voting is about to replace people’s desire to go to a polling station to cast their vote,” Acton said. “If our aim is to increase [voter] numbers, and I believe we can… then we need all options available to make it fluid [and] painless.”

Assessing the Costs

Deputy Clerk Jennifer Peplinski told Council that expanding the number of polling stations would increase election costs beyond what has been budgeted to date, though spending would remain within the Town’s available $400,000 election reserve.

Each additional location requires voting equipment, supplies, and staffing, and some may also need internet upgrades. Staff estimate the cost at approximately $9,500 per site, including $4,000 for equipment, $1,000 for supplies, and $4,500 for staffing. Locations requiring internet upgrades would add an estimated $2,000.

Councillor Rick Upton argued the Town should prioritize accessibility and participation, and he referenced Spring Lakes Golf Club as the most attended 2022 polling location in his ward. The site was not included in Staff’s recommendations for this year’s election, and his motion to add it was defeated with Acton as the only other supporter.

Peplinski estimated the cost of adding the five additional locations at roughly $70,000, a figure reduced after Council declined to add Spring Lakes.

Vote Anywhere

As the debate unfolded, Peplinski also outlined planning for a likely Vote Anywhere program. First introduced in the 2024 report, it would allow residents to cast a ballot at any polling station regardless of ward.

While providing ballots for all wards at each location may add some costs, Peplinski said the Town is moving toward implementing the service. “ We’re still finalizing procurement,” she explained. “Everyone that I have been in contact with has told me…’we can go ahead with that,’ I’m just saying it’s the intent…and that I haven’t finalized that.”

Mayor Iain Lovatt pointed to the combined benefits of internet voting, advance polls, and Vote Anywhere, warning Council against adding too many locations.

“The challenge rests upon communications,” Lovatt said, adding he would support a limited increase but not the level of expansion proposed by Sherban. “A couple, I’d be open to, but… I think we’re going to find out that we’re very underutilized…and it’s just a cost that we don’t need to spend.”

Councillor Hugo Kroon voted in agreement with Lovatt, also saying communication would be important. While the Town faces its own obligations in that regard, he noted that the responsibility will also fall on new and incumbent candidates to help inform voters.

The Town is “moving into the future” with internet voting, Kroon said. “I was initially concerned about the reduction in those locations, but the Vote Anywhere option is…a great idea,” he added. “It’s actually sad to see how few people actually vote, but I believe that this is going to be a good opportunity for people to exercise this privilege that so many have given their lives for.”

Council ultimately approved the amended in-person polling locations plan in a 5-2 vote, with Smith and Kroon opposed. During the meeting, Staff said the Communications team will report back with a 2026 election communications plan at the April 1 Council meeting.