When voters go to the polls later this month, the ballot boxes will look different in some cities. And the results will come in much faster.
Training began this week for municipal election volunteers and staff, who will be working at polling stations and helping process votes through electronic tabulation systems.
Voters in Kitchener and Cambridge will see the change this year. (Waterloo made the switch in the previous civic election.)
People will still mark their votes on paper, but instead of stuffing their ballots in an old-fashioned ballot box, their ballot sheets will be fed into a machine to be processed.
The data will be electronically transmitted and tabulated, so no longer will volunteers have to run ballot boxes back to city hall for counting.
Volunteers say the system might be harder for them to administer this first year, but it will be easier for voters.
"It's going to be tricky -- there's a lot to remember," election volunteer Kathy McHugh told CTV News, "but I think the actual usage of it isn't difficult at all."
Voters with disabilities will see some advantages with the new system. For instance, there is an option to use large paddles for voters who have problems with their hands and can't hold a pen.
