MEDIA RELEASE — February 26, 2026 — R0022 

Before Ontarians cast their ballots in this fall’s municipal elections, they have the chance to provide feedback that could help shape elections into the future.  

Canada’s first national standard for online municipal voting is open for input from the public and stakeholders involved in municipal elections — and Brock University Associate Professor of Political Science Nicole Goodman is encouraging participation.

Initially proposed to the Digital Governance Standard Institute (DGSI) by Goodman and Aleksander Essex of Western University, Online Voting – Part 1: Implementation of Online Voting in Canadian Municipal Elections was published as a National Standard of Canada in December 2024. 

The document, which outlines technical design requirements for online voting services and best practices for the implementation of online voting in Canadian municipal elections, is accepting public comment through the DGSI website until Tuesday, March 3. 

Goodman says the voluntary standard sets the stage for municipal elections in the digital age, “marking an important step toward creating a cross-country regulatory framework for election technologies in Canada.”

“Having input from the public and relevant stakeholders is important as they have practical knowledge about what works and what does not, as well as insights into new trends in the online voting space or municipal sector,” she says. “This ensures the standard reflects technical innovations while also considering implementation challenges and compatibility issues. It can also help anticipate new risks or issues that need to be addressed by the standard to support local communities to deliver safer digital elections.”

The number of Ontario municipalities using digital technologies has climbed steadily since 2003.

“Ontario’s elections are the most digitally enabled elections in Canada, with 222 municipalities having used online voting in 2022,” Goodman says. “I expect that we will see record levels of online voting use in the 2026 municipal elections this fall, making the standard especially important.”

As elections continue to digitize, Goodman says maintaining electoral integrity through the regulation of digital technologies in elections is critical.

“For a time, Canada was the only country in the world to use election technologies without regulations, even though Canada has one of the highest rates of use,” she says. “We’ve also had several technical incidents occur as technologies are adopted, emphasizing the importance of putting standards in place.” 

Goodman’s research has shown that technical difficulties, such as those seen in Ontario’s 2018 municipal elections, can negatively affect attitudes about casting an online vote. 

“You have to think about the impact on public perception when residents see their municipality declaring a state of emergency because of something to do with online voting,” she says. “When introducing technology to help with democracy — to improve voter turnout, accessibility and convenience — if we’re not putting in place the proper protocols, we could be doing the exact opposite.”

The voluntary standard applies only to municipal elections, so it will not be a factor in federal or provincial elections. But Goodman believes it could be built upon for use in higher levels of government.

The Northwest Territories, for example, wrote their own regulation for online voting informed by DGSI’s municipal process, she says. 

Goodman and Essex discuss how standards can be adapted to other levels of government and identify additional regulatory measures that could support digital elections at higher levels of government in “The Complex Challenges of Regulating Election Technologies in Canada.” The chapter will appear in the forthcoming Regulating Digital, which Goodman co-edited with Helen Hayes of McGill University for University of Toronto Press. 

View the online voting standard on the DGSI website and select the “Provide Comment” tab to leave feedback.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483 

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