Congratulations to Niagara-on-the-Lake for again having the highest voter turnout in Niagara Region for last week’s municipal election.

More than half of all eligible voters — 52 per cent — cast ballots, up four percentage points from 2022, when Gary Zalepa defeated Betty Disero. But it was down from the amazing 59 per cent who turned out in 2018 when Disero beat incumbent Pat Darte.

This year, for the first time, voters could make their choice via the internet and it is an option that was broadly embraced.

In all, some 51 per cent of all votes were registered online.

While some remain skeptical about the practice, nearly 5,000 people in NOTL chose it.

Kudos to the outgoing council for approving the measure in 2025 and to the staff of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake for making it work.

Several municipalities, including Niagara Falls, couldn’t bring themselves to adopt online voting. Yet.

They should. It is fast, efficient and seamless. And it appeared to help speed up the results.

One thing it doesn’t yet tell us, though, is which NOTL neighbourhood online voters reside in.

That’s something perhaps the Town of NOTL can refine in time for the next election in 2030.