Latest news with #VoterTurnout
South China Morning Post
21-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Legco poll to use electronic vote counting for trade seats for first time
Electronic ballot counting will be used in Hong Kong's Legislative Council election for the first time for the 30 trade-based seats, with lawmakers calling for greater adoption of advanced technology to improve voter turnout. But legislators heard on Monday that the technology would not be deployed for the 20 directly elected geographical constituency seats, as paper ballots and hand counting would continue to be used. At a Legco panel meeting, some lawmakers urged authorities to step up the use of technology to make casting ballots more convenient and encourage people to vote. Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said 'many factors' affected voter turnout and it was 'impractical to set rigid indicators'. 'But it does not mean we do not care about voter turnout,' he said. 'Through more explanation and publicity, we hope the public will understand that taking part in elections is closely related to the steady progress of the 'one country, two systems' governing principle and the well-being of the public.'
CTV News
26-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Tecumseh council approves internet voting for 2026 election
The Town of Tecumseh will allow internet and telephone voting during the next municipal election. During Tuesday's meeting, council voted in favour of allowing the two methods for the 2026 municipal and school board elections, while also preparing a request for proposals for internet and telephone software services to be tendered in the third quarter of 2025. The town of Tecumseh has used alternate methods of vote by mail for the elections in 2003, 2006, and 2010, while internet and telephone voting methods were used in combination to conduct the 2014, 2018, and 2022 elections, as well as the 2016 byelection for Ward 2. Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti says Tecumseh has been at the forefront in terms of providing alternatives to make it more accessible to voters. 'In 2014, we had over 52 per cent voter turnout. So we want to be able to reach out to as many as we can. I know the last election was on the low end; we only had 37 per cent. That could be due to the mayor, deputy mayor position, along with a councillor position, being acclaimed. So there may have been a lack of interest from voters on that vote,' he says. Traditional polling stations will also be utilized during the 2026 municipal election. Bachetti says the internet and phone voting is more accessible while providing greater flexibility and convenience. 'Voters can cast their vote privately, independently from anywhere during the advanced voting period, 24 hours up to the day including election day,' he says. 'These methods are designed to encourage voter participation, as voters do not have to go to a physical location to cast their ballot. It provides additional voting opportunities for students and those unable to visit a voting place.' According to an administration report, approximately two-thirds of Ontario municipalities used internet voting as part of their methods of voting in 2022. Bachetti says it also supports the changing demographics and lifestyles. 'Everyone has access to smartphones, and using their PIN that will be given to them, they'll be able to vote right then and there and make it easier for them,' he says. According to an administration report, the 2026 anticipated budget provides funding in the amount of $75,000 for the municipal election, but this amount will be reviewed and confirmed further as part of the 2026 budget process. The next municipal and school board elections will take place on Oct. 26, 2026. — Rusty Thomson/AM800 News
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Stunned Cuomo Watch Party Finds Itself With Little to Celebrate.
The election results watch party for former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo got off to a fairly subdued start on Tuesday evening. Guests mingled as music played at a low volume over muted televisions displaying the results, and only a few 'Cuomo for Mayor' signs decorated the event space. As the night progressed and results rolled in, the crowd found no reason to become more energized. Mr. Cuomo took the stage around 10:20 p.m. and told his supporters that 'tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night.' One dismayed supporter shouted that the race was not over yet, a seemingly last-ditch effort to dissuade the former governor from conceding to Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The Cuomo backers had gathered in a cavernous space on the fourth floor of the Carpenters Union Hall in downtown Manhattan. The night's proceedings were confined to a corner of the hall, with a handful of orange 'Carpenters for Cuomo' signs leaning against a white wall. One only prominent supporter made the rounds among the crowd. Jessica Ramos, a state senator and mayoral candidate who endorsed Mr. Cuomo, said after she arrived that the former governor's campaign was 'feeling good' about the high voter turnout on Primary Day, especially given the extreme heat. Ms. Ramos said that the election would 'define what being a Democrat means.' Just moments before Mr. Cuomo took the stage, Ms. Ramos remained optimistic. 'The results we'll see tonight paint a very specific picture that perhaps does not tell the whole story,' she said. Then, Mr. Cuomo struck a different tone, congratulating Mr. Mamdani on his victory. As he left the stage, stunned supporters headed for the exit.
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Stunned Cuomo Watch arty finds itself with little to celebrate.
The election results watch party for former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo got off to a fairly subdued start on Tuesday evening. Guests mingled as music played at a low volume over muted televisions displaying the results, and only a few 'Cuomo for Mayor' signs decorated the event space. As the night progressed and results rolled in, the crowd found no reason to become more energized. Mr. Cuomo took the stage around 10:20 p.m. and told his supporters that 'tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani's night.' One dismayed supporter shouted that the race was not over yet, a seemingly last-ditch effort to dissuade the former governor from conceding to Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The Cuomo backers had gathered in a cavernous space on the fourth floor of the Carpenters Union Hall in downtown Manhattan. The night's proceedings were confined to a corner of the hall, with a handful of orange 'Carpenters for Cuomo' signs leaning against a white wall. One only prominent supporter made the rounds among the crowd. Jessica Ramos, a state senator and mayoral candidate who endorsed Mr. Cuomo, said after she arrived that the former governor's campaign was 'feeling good' about the high voter turnout on Primary Day, especially given the extreme heat. Ms. Ramos said that the election would 'define what being a Democrat means.' Just moments before Mr. Cuomo took the stage, Ms. Ramos remained optimistic. 'The results we'll see tonight paint a very specific picture that perhaps does not tell the whole story,' she said. Then, Mr. Cuomo struck a different tone, congratulating Mr. Mamdani on his victory. As he left the stage, stunned supporters headed for the exit.
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Why Election Commission is working on releasing voter turnout figures faster
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is working on its internal processes to ensure that voter turnout numbers are released faster on election day. The ECI announced on Tuesday (June 3) that it would roll out an automatic reporting feature in its new mobile application ECINET, in time for the Assembly elections in Bihar, due this November. After the Lok Sabha elections last year, the Opposition had raised the issue of delay in the release of voter turnout figures, questioning the transparency and integrity of the ECI process. The ECI currently has as many as 40 different apps and portals for various internal and public services, including for electoral roll management, candidate affidavits, voter turnout, and results. On May 4 this year, the Commission announced that it would launch a new app, ECINET, in which all existing apps would be subsumed. This was among the initiatives launched after Gyanesh Kumar took charge as Chief Election Commissioner in February. On Tuesday, the ECI said that the new app would also enable faster reporting of voter turnout trends. Currently, the presiding officer of each polling station relays the voter turnout numbers to a sector officer who is responsible for a few polling stations, and to the Returning Officer of the constituency over the phone or through messages. These data are then manually collated and the turnout for the constituency is entered into the Voter Turnout app every two hours. The new system will allow each presiding officer to directly enter the turnout figures into the ECINET app every two hours. Through the app, the turnout for the constituency will be calculated automatically and displayed for the public. What was the controversy regarding voter turnout last year? After the first two phases of voting in the Lok Sabha elections of last year, the ECI released tentative turnout figures as of 7 pm on polling day through press releases, with the caveat that the final turnout figures were likely to be higher as reports were yet to come in from all polling stations, particularly those in remote areas. While polling was scheduled until 6 pm, in many places it went on until later to enable all those who were in line at the cut-off time to cast their votes. The next official release from the ECI on the turnout numbers came 11 days after the first phase and four days after the second phase, and showed the turnout 5 to 6 percentage points higher than the numbers released on the voting days. Opposition parties questioned the ECI on both the 'delay' in releasing the numbers and the increase in turnout. In a letter to his INDIA bloc allies on May 6, 2024, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked if there was an 'attempt to doctor the final results' behind the delay. How did the ECI respond to the allegations? The ECI wrote to Kharge on May 10, 2024, refuting the allegations and denying that there had been any unusual delay. It recalled that during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it had released turnout figures five to seven days after polling in phases, and there was a gap of 1 percentage point to 3 percentage points between the tentative numbers released on poll day and the final ones. The ECI said it takes time for polling parties to arrive at headquarters, particularly in remote areas. The polling parties' first task is to complete the statutory formalities, and the updation of voter turnout data is not among them. Each candidate, however, has the booth-wise turnout figures through Form 17C, which is given to their polling agents at the close of the poll. The Form 17C is a statutory requirement under the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. From the third phase of the elections onwards, the ECI began issuing another press release around midnight with the updated turnout figure at 11.40 pm on poll day, and released the percentages, total number of electors, and total number of voters for each phase three to four days after polling. Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
