How Civic Elections Compares

Complete source code provided under perpetual licence. Municipality owns the code, can audit every line, customize freely, and never faces vendor lock-in.

Proprietary SaaS subscription with no source code access. Vendor dependency for every customization and update.

Compiled binaries only. No ability to inspect, audit, or modify election administration logic.

Automated MPAC assessment roll import with multi-source cleansing (duplicate detection, address standardization, deceased elector removal). 95%+ accuracy before revision period.

Manual CSV import with limited data cleansing. Accuracy depends on manual review effort.

Basic import functionality. No automated cleansing pipeline. Manual data quality work required.

Full online filing with automated endorsement verification against voters list, fee processing, eligibility checks, and same-day certification. Acclamation determination automated.

Paper-only nomination process requiring manual endorsement verification and in-person filing.

Partial online support — form download and email submission. No automated verification.

Auto-updating dashboard with ward map visualization, media JSON/API feed, historical comparison, mobile-responsive. Results published within 1 hour of polls closing.

Delayed batch publication to municipal website. Manual spreadsheet transcription from poll results.

Real-time capable but no ward map visualization or media feed. Limited customization.

Multi-vendor support — DS200, DS850, ExpressVote with automated ballot definition export, logic and accuracy testing, and memory card results import.

Single tabulator vendor lock-in. Proprietary integration with limited flexibility.

Manual results entry only. No tabulator hardware integration.

Unified multi-channel eligibility verification with real-time cross-channel lock-out preventing double voting. Consolidated results from all channels. Vendor-neutral.

Separate internet voting system with no real-time eligibility synchronization. Double-voting risk managed manually.

No internet voting integration support. Separate system required.

End-to-end: spending/contribution limit calculation, online Form 4 filing, clerk compliance review, deficiency notices, public disclosure, and compliance audit tracking.

Basic financial statement filing only. No automated compliance checking or public disclosure.

Separate add-on module at additional cost. Limited integration with election data.

Full lifecycle: recruitment, hiring, online training with completion tracking, station assignment, mobile app, payroll calculation, and post-election evaluation. 1,000+ workers.

Spreadsheet-based worker tracking. No integrated training or mobile app.

Basic assignment management only. No training completion tracking or mobile app.

Polling station accessibility audits, assistive device tracking and deployment, WCAG 2.1 AA portals, election worker AODA training, accessible voter notification cards.

Basic WCAG compliance for web interface only. No polling station accessibility management.

Limited accessibility features. No assistive device management or polling station audits.

Full-featured mobile app with offline capability: voter lookup, strike-off recording, ballot count entry, issue reporting, and real-time sync with conflict resolution.

No mobile application. Paper-based poll administration.

Basic web-only mobile interface. No offline capability.

Built-in by-election management: MEA timeline calculation, abbreviated process configuration, voters list refresh, nomination period management. Ready at any time.

Manual reconfiguration of the system required for each by-election. Significant setup effort.

Separate professional services engagement at additional cost for by-election setup.

Auto-generated council report with turnout analytics, election statistics, AODA accessibility report, cost analysis, and recommendations. Export-ready PDF.

Basic results export only. Post-election report compiled manually from multiple sources.

Standard reports available. Comprehensive post-election council report requires manual work.

Guaranteed Canadian data centres only. Contractual commitment — no cross-border transfer at rest or in transit. Includes backups and DR replicas.

US-based primary cloud with Canadian hosting option at premium pricing. Cross-border data transfer possible.

Canadian hosting available but not guaranteed by default. Data residency depends on configuration.

Deep bi-directional integration with Civic CRM, Finance, Docs, Portal, and GIS. Unified constituent data, financial tracking, and document management.

Standalone election system. Limited integration with other municipal systems.

Basic API available. Integration with municipal systems requires significant custom development.