When LaSalle's town councillors meet on Tuesday night, they'll consider a staff recommendation to drop the option for telephone voting in the 2026 Municipal Election.
LaSalle offered telephone voting in the 2018 and 2022 elections, but the number of users has fallen, and some complained that the system was confusing and time-consuming.
"The main complaint the town received was that the telephone voting system was cumbersome, difficult to navigate, and not user friendly," said the report. "Unfortunately, there's nothing the town can do to improve that system."
The town will still offer internet voting.
"We haven't received any real complaints on that voting method," said Mayor Crystal Meloche. "And that seems to be the method most Ontario municipalities are going with nowadays."
LaSalle hasn't offered in-person voting for years.
Internet voting was first introduced in Ontario in 2003 in the City of Markham. In the last vote, 56 per cent of Ontario municipalities offered it.
Unlike telephone voting, the report said internet voting was "accessible, convenient, and secure."
The biggest concern associated with online voting is the security of the process. The report assures councillors those providing online voting platforms take security very seriously and have measures to prevent hacking.
The report said LaSalle will still offer a Voter Help Centre at town hall to help residents who need it.
The next municipal vote is October 26, 2026.
