On October 26, 2026, 73 Ontario municipalities completed elections supported by Simply Voting. Across those municipalities, more than 1.2 million electors were eligible to vote, and more than 453,000 votes were recorded.
The work behind election day had been underway since early 2026, with each municipality supported by a dedicated Simply Voting project manager through preparation, configuration, testing, voter communications, active voting, and post-election reporting.
Throughout that work, the online voting system needed to be secure and reliable, the project needed to stay on track, and municipal staff, candidates, and voters needed confidence in the process and its results.
Preparing for Election Day
Preparation began with kickoff meetings, requirements gathering, voting website configuration, contingency planning, training, guides, and how-to-vote videos tailored to each municipality’s voting configuration.
As the projects moved into their final stages, municipalities reviewed their proof of concept to confirm ballot wording, voting rules, instructions, and the voter experience before candidate lists were official.
Municipalities also received assurance material including independent third-party penetration testing and accessibility audits, Simply Voting’s SOC 2 audit, and load-testing results. This built on work ahead of the 2026 cycle, including Simply Voting’s participation in developing CAN/DGSI 111-1:2024, Canada’s standard for online electoral voting in municipal elections, and implementation of the requirements applicable to its online voting system.
Once candidate lists were official, municipalities conducted Logic & Accuracy testing by casting scripted test ballots and confirming that calculated results matched expected outcomes.
Voter Information Letter production required finalizing voter data, copy and approvals while working backward from desired in-home dates. Across the 73 elections, more than 1.2 million Voter Information Letters were mailed.
Dedicated Project Management Through the Election
Simply Voting’s project managers worked directly with their assigned municipalities, with the Elections Director overseeing the work across all 73 projects. Project managers tracked requirements, approvals, deadlines, and next steps while remaining the municipality’s primary Simply Voting contact.
When additional expertise was needed, they coordinated with the rest of the Simply Voting team, including IT and other specialists.
Deep River’s feedback reflected the value of that structured project management approach:
“Thank you to the team at Simply Voting for once again working with the Town of Deep River on another successful, seamless election.
Elections are stressful, but one thing I never have to worry about is Simply Voting’s proficient management of the voting process.
The detailed Project Plan that outlines requirements, tasks and deadlines is excellent for pre-planning and keeping the election process organized and on track; the Election Manager and voting process are user friendly, and the dedicated Project Manager’s prompt and knowledgeable assistance were and are greatly appreciated.” — Jackie Mellon, Clerk, Town of Deep River
Different Municipalities, Different Election Needs
Simply Voting provided internet voting to all 73 municipalities, while 57 also offered telephone voting. Some municipalities offered electronic voting exclusively, while others combined it with paper voting administered locally.
Across all 73 elections, approximately 87% of recorded votes were cast through the Internet voting system, about 6% by telephone, and about 7% on paper.
The municipalities also brought very different levels of experience with online voting. Forty-six had worked with Simply Voting in previous election cycles. Of the remaining 27, 24 moved to Simply Voting from another provider, while three were introducing online voting for the first time.
The Township of St. Clair was both new to Simply Voting and conducting municipal internet voting for the first time.
“This was my first time using this voting method, and I’ll be recommending that our council adopt this format going forward. This is entirely a result of how well everything ran. The training materials were fantastic, and our Project Manager was a rockstar. I had countless questions, and the prompt and attentive responses I received every time I reached out made all the difference.” — Jeff Baranek, Clerk, Township of St. Clair
Election Day Was an All-Hands Effort
By the time voting opened earlier in October, ballots had been configured and tested, Voter Information Letters had been delivered, integrations were in place, and municipal teams had worked through months of preparation.
Throughout the voting period, project managers stayed in close contact with municipal clerks while Simply Voting teams monitored turnout, infrastructure, integrations, and incoming questions.
On October 26, the final day of voting for all 73 municipalities, that work shifted into an all-hands effort. That included monitoring real-time synchronization between municipal voter-data systems and Simply Voting’s online voting system, with IT and Elections staff available to investigate and respond when needed.
More than 147,000 votes were recorded across the 73 municipalities on October 26 alone, representing nearly one-third of all participation across the full voting periods. Almost half of all votes were cast during the final three days, with hundreds of votes per minute being recorded during the final voting hours.
As voting concluded, attention shifted to final checks and making unofficial results available to municipalities so clerks could publish the results. In the days that followed, Simply Voting provided final results reports and additional election statistics, including turnout information.
A Decade of Growth in Ontario
Simply Voting’s Ontario municipal work has grown from four municipalities in 2014 to 28 in 2018, 50 in 2022, and 73 in 2026.
All four municipalities first supported in 2014 remain Simply Voting customers today, including the Town of Deep River, which has worked with us in every municipal election cycle since.
“We’re pleased to have supported municipalities across Ontario again this year,” said Brian Lack, President of Simply Voting. “These elections take a great deal of coordination between municipal clerks, our partners, and our own Elections and IT teams. I appreciate the work everyone put into delivering these elections.”
The Same Team and System Behind Your Election
The project managers who supported these municipal elections are part of the same Elections team that works with associations, unions, universities, professional bodies, cooperatives, and other organizations throughout the year. Those organizations use the same underlying online voting system, backed by the same independent testing, audits, security controls, accessibility work, and operational experience.
Whether supporting a municipality or another organization, our project managers bring the same structured preparation, responsive communication, and practical election experience to the work.
We appreciate the municipal clerks, election staff, partners, and Simply Voting team members who worked together throughout 2026 to help deliver elections people can trust.
Considering online voting for an upcoming election? Contact Simply Voting to talk with us about how our experienced project managers and online voting system can support your organization.
