Province sticks to guns on electoral polls

Though Beaconsfield's city council recently officially called on the Municipal Affairs Ministry to increase the maximum number of voters per electoral poll during the November 1 municipal elections from 500 to 600 in a bid to save some money, the province will be sticking to its guns.

"The law must be uniform and applicable to all citizens of Quebec. In that perspective, a solution was found that was the recommendation of the joint (Union des Municipalités du Québec and the Fédération Québecoise des Municipalités) committee," explained ministry spokesperson Christian Tanguay.

During 2005 elections, the number of voters per poll allowed was 350, according to Tanguay.

Many larger municipalities were unhappy with the small number, stating they could save money by not having to hire so many electoral poll officers if a larger amount of people was allowed to vote per station.

After a joint UMQ/FQM committee recommended the provincial ministry raise the number to 500, Tanguay said Minister Nathalie Normandeau approved of the idea.

"We thought the suggestion was a positive one," he said, adding it is expected to pass into law sometime this June.

However, Benedetti said raising the number to 600 would be even better. "We think that we can manage 600 quite comfortably at a considerably lower cost," he added.

Though 28 polling stations would be needed for the approximately 14,000 eligible voters in Beaconsfield at the current maximum of 500 voters, Benedetti said, there would be 24 stations only required with the higher number.

"It would cut down the number of bodies we would have to hire," Benedetti said, though he could not provide an exact amount of cash that would be saved. "It's a good chunk of money, it's at least five digits," he said.

Concern over the total number of voters allowed per poll was minimal at some other West Island municipalities.

"We're OK with the 500 number," said Dollard des Ormeaux Mayor Ed Janiszewski. "That's going to save a lot of personnel at voting time," he added.

In Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Mayor Bill Tierney said he could not see the advantage of pressing for 600 voters. "We only have 3,000 voters anyway," he said.

Ste. Anne city clerk Karl Sacha Langlois confirmed the town would not be enacting a resolution similar to Beaconsfield's. "We don't intend to ask the minister to go from 500 to 600," he said.

Quebecers across the province head to the polls to vote in municipal elections on November 1.