Steve Lesperance for CKL Councillor Ward 8
GOT AN ISSUE?PUT IT IN PITA!
A hand placing a paper ballot into a ballot box

A MAJOR CAMPAIGN ISSUE

RESTORE THE PAPER BALLOT CHOICE. NOW.

BEFORE THE 2026 MUNICIPAL ELECTION.

See the 18-Poster Series

WHY IT MATTERS

Why paper ballots?

Six plain-language reasons. No jargon.

Auditability

A marked paper ballot is a physical record. It can be counted again, checked again, and audited by hand, years later if needed.

Manual recounts

With paper, a close race can be recounted by people in a room, watched by scrutineers. Everyone can see how the result was reached.

Public confidence

Trust grows when regular people can watch the count and understand it, with no technical background needed.

Election transparency

Paper counting happens in the open. Observers can witness every step from ballot box to final tally.

Ballot secrecy

A paper ballot marked privately in a voting screen keeps your choice between you and the ballot box.

Cybersecurity

A paper ballot cannot be hacked, deleted, or altered remotely. Reducing reliance on internet systems reduces cyber risk.

WHY THIS ELECTION

Why it must be addressed now

VERIFIED FACT

Kawartha Lakes has already chosen internet and telephone voting for 2026

The City selected internet and telephone voting for the 2026 municipal election, delivered by the vendor Simply Voting, with a 10-day voting period.
Source: City of Kawartha Lakes, Electronic Voting pageYear: 2026Accessed: August 25, 2026View source
VERIFIED FACT

Voting methods are locked in by bylaw ahead of the election

Alternative voting methods are authorized under section 42 of the Municipal Elections Act, which requires council to pass a bylaw in advance. Decisions about how we vote in 2026 are being made now, not on election day.
Source: Municipal Elections Act, 1996 (Ontario), s. 42Year: 1996, as amendedAccessed: August 25, 2026View source
STEVE'S POSITION

Steve's first choice is restoring physical paper ballots for the 2026 municipal election.

Restore the paper ballot option so every voter can choose a physical, recountable, human-verifiable ballot. If municipalities continue without physical paper ballots, the people still need transparency. That is why Steve also created Witness Your Vote.

Learn About Witness Your Vote 2026 Election Centre

THE CAMPAIGN

The 18-Part Paper Ballot Poster Series

One part at a time, the series makes the case for restoring the paper ballot choice. Tap any poster to view, share, and read the sources.

Official poster artwork is added as each part of the series is released.

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

The research, area by area

Facts are labelled and sourced. Steve's questions and opinions are labelled separately. Follow the links and check everything yourself.

PLAIN ANSWERS

Common questions

YOUR NEXT STEP

See the case, one poster at a time.

Or learn about Witness Your Vote

Steve Lesperance for CKL Councillor Ward 8

ACCOUNTABILITY YOU CAN SEE.

Lesperance is the French word for Hope

Steve Lesperance is running for Ward 8 Councillor in the City of Kawartha Lakes to bring accountability, transparency, and practical follow-up to City Hall.

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Authorized by the campaign to elect Steve Lesperance, Ward 8 Councillor candidate, City of Kawartha Lakes. This website is a campaign and civic information platform. Concerns and questions raised here are matters of public interest and are presented with supporting documents where available.

© 2026 Campaign to Elect Steve Lesperance — Ward 8 · Admin

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Paper ballot poster ONTARIO HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED A MAJOR ELECTRONIC ELECTION DISRUPTION

ONTARIO HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED A MAJOR ELECTRONIC ELECTION DISRUPTION

ONTARIO HAS ALREADY EXPERIENCED A MAJOR ELECTRONIC ELECTION DISRUPTION

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Ontario has already seen what happens when electronic voting fails. In 2018, 43 municipalities were affected by a major online-voting disruption, forcing contingency measures and extended voting hours. There is no evidence this changed vote totals—but that is not the point. If voters cannot access the system, the election process itself is disrupted. A paper ballot does not depend on software, servers or the internet. Ontario should restore the paper ballot choice before the 2026 municipal election.

Sources

Springer — “The Effect of Exogenous Shocks on the Administration of Online Voting: Evidence from Ontario, Canada”The Effect of Exogenous Shocks on the Administration of Online Voting: Evidence from Ontario, CanadaA Conflict of Legal Principles and Technology?
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