To the Editor,
I am writing this as a person born in the late 1930s and brought up with cursive writing and the telephone. These days technology confusion is everywhere, even for baby boomers. Many persons of a certain age do not understand the new voting procedures.
We have now been asked to vote by computer or telephone with a pin number. Cornwall and North Glengarry, our neighbours, have gracefully decided to hold on to the old way of paper votes. Remember when we went to the local arena, identified ourselves and were given a ballot and pointed to the voting booth? We ticked off our choices for mayor and councillors and were all done.
Wednesday, October 21, at my weekly Wednesday morning yoga class, I was reminded that I could vote early. The conversation pointed out that a PIN was required to vote online or by telephone. “Oops, where is the letter I put in a special place that contained the instructions and the pin number to vote in Vankleek Hill?” Realizing a new pin number was vital and knowing there was help using the computer to vote, I took myself to the township office on Pleasant Corner Road. At the voting room, there was help, and a boomer friend at the computer asking questions as he worked through his voting online. It did my heart good when it was my turn to sit at the computer to vote knowing I wasn’t alone needing help with the computer and my two remaining questions – one of them was how do I scroll down with this mouse? Not the one in my basement.
On Wednesday evening I had a call from a friend relating his story about going for help at the township office that morning. His story was walking into the chosen voting station surprised at the number of people of a certain age milling about. He looked over at the computer and turned around and walked out, deciding to protest voting. How many of us gave up? The demographic for Champlain Township appears quite high for people of a certain age. Friends were helping others to vote in the local coffee shop and families were helping each other. What does that say about privacy and security? The computer now has your identity and choices you made. What happens if that system goes down? Maybe it’s cost effective versus comfort? Or a misunderstanding of how things work?
I sincerely hope next time we can do better. All that said, the township was doing their best and kudos to them for bringing the voting polls to The Manor on Derby Street in Vankleek Hill. It’s a great effort to get us into a world of N.O.R.C.: Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities.
Hanna Hamsa
Vankleek Hill
