Municipal Election Voters Lists Outdated

"One person, one vote!" That it seems has been the basis for our belief in democracy. But Lydia Smith, President of the Cobourg Taxpayers Association, sees our current municipal voters lists as a problem for democracy. For years, the lists provided to the Town have been outdated and contain the names of deceased residents, unqualified voters and omit large blocks of tenants. The Town relies on lists provided by assessment rolls and these have been criticized by the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario which has written a position paper entitled, "Time to Fix the Voters' Lists." Towns like Cobourg have taken the position it is up to individual voters to be sure he or she is properly listed before time to vote. More accurate lists are maintained for federal and provincial elections. Lydia Smith accused the Town of conducting an unfair election in 2014 and hopes to see improvements for next year's vote.