Site Menu2. Information Campaign for Electors – Report on the 2019 By-elections
Objectives of the campaign
In the run-up to the by-elections, Elections Canada used its Ready to Vote information campaign, which was also used in the 2015 general election. The campaign was designed to inform Canadians about where, when and ways to vote, the voter registration process and the accepted pieces of identification. The communications tools used in the 2019 by-elections included a paid media campaign on radio, in newspapers and digital formats, on other types of signage and on the elections.ca website. The agency also used electronic and print information products, direct mail and outreach to specific groups of electors. In addition, the agency used paid and organic social media, including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, as well as non-traditional advertising channels, such as Tims TV.
These communications efforts were synchronized with the various phases of the by-election calendar: voter registration, mailing of voter information cards (VICs), voting at advance polls and voting on election day.
Social media
During the by-elections, Elections Canada used social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube) to share information and digital products about where, when and ways to register and vote. The agency also used its Twitter and Facebook accounts to respond to questions from the public.
Website
As in past elections, the Elections Canada website prominently featured two online services to help electors find the information they needed to be ready to vote. Electors could use the Online Voter Registration Service to register or check whether their information was correct. Electors could also enter their postal code into the Voter Information Service to learn where and when they could vote and about the accessibility of their polling place. The website also provided information about voter eligibility and identification requirements for voting. All told, there were 933,635 visits to the website during the by-election periods: 459,042 during the Outremont, York–Simcoe, and Burnaby South by-elections and 473,593 during the Nanaimo–Ladysmith by-election.
Live election results were published on the website as ballots were counted. On election night, for Outremont, York–Simcoe and Burnaby South, there were 53,686 visits to the website to view the results of the by-elections and 58,206 visits the next day. For Nanaimo–Ladysmith, there were 4,041 visits to the website on election night to view the by-election results and 25,113 visits the next day.
Enquiries from electors
Elections Canada's Public Enquiries Unit responds to calls and emails from electors on many topics, including registration, polling place location, accessibility, voting procedures and identification requirements. Agents in the Public Enquiries Unit at Elections Canada headquarters responded to 866 enquiries about the by-elections in Outremont, York–Simcoe and Burnaby South, while Elections Canada offices in the electoral districts handled 6,626 enquiries. For Nanaimo–Ladysmith, the Public Enquiries Unit responded to 167 enquiries, while the local office received 1,381 enquiries.
Direct mail
Elections Canada mailed VICs to electors whose names appeared on the preliminary lists of electors in Outremont, York–Simcoe, Burnaby South and Nanaimo–Ladysmith. The VIC tells electors when and where they can vote at advance polls and on election day, describes other voting options, gives them basic information on the accessibility of their polling place and points them to the Elections Canada website for more detailed accessibility information.
Shortly before the advance polls opened, Elections Canada also sent all households in each electoral district a reminder brochure with information about voter eligibility, registration, identification requirements and ways to vote. The brochure also prompted electors to contact Elections Canada if they had not received a VIC.
| Electoral district | Number of VICs sent | Number of reminder brochures sent |
|---|---|---|
| Outremont | 70,537 | 41,606 |
| York–Simcoe | 82,602 | 39,621 |
| Burnaby South | 75,262 | 41,381 |
| Nanaimo–Ladysmith | 103,851 | 54,695 |
Community relations and outreach
As part of Elections Canada's outreach efforts to groups that often face greater barriers to voting, returning officers were asked to determine whether a community relations officer should be appointed based on the demographics and needs in their electoral districtFootnote 1. In Outremont, York–Simcoe and Burnaby South, nine community relations officers were appointed and, in Nanaimo–Ladysmith, four. Community relations officers set up kiosks, made presentations, hosted discussion groups, distributed information products, and liaised with electors in these target groups and contacts in organizations or facilities providing services to these groups.
Media Relations
Media Relations handled 36 media requests regarding the Outremont, York–Simcoe and Burnaby South by-elections. There were nine media requests during the Nanaimo–Ladysmith by-election, and spokespeople did 18 proactive interviews with local media outlets. There were 13 news releases issued for the Outremont, York–Simcoe and Burnaby South by-elections and 11 for the Nanaimo–Ladysmith by-election.
A pilot project in the 2018 by-elections that was used in 2019 involved a new handout called Media at the Polls. The document clearly explains the rules for members of the media who visit polling places and aimed to shift the task of handling media questions and complaints from election workers to Elections Canada's Media Relations staff at headquarters.
In the 2019 by-elections, while Media Relations staff did receive requests from journalists who wanted to visit a polling place, the agency has no evidence that those requests resulted from the new handout. The agency has not received feedback from election workers, returning officers or field liaison officers about the handout.
As a result, Media Relations, in collaboration with the agency's Operations and Field Governance branch, have decided to discontinue the Media at the Polls handout going forward. The procedures for media at the polls have instead been updated in the field staff training manuals.
Footnotes
Return to source of Footnote 1 Community relations officers work with local organizations to assist electors known to face barriers when participating in the electoral process. These include students, seniors, electors with disabilities and Indigenous, homeless and ethnocultural electors. These officers provide information on when, where and ways to register and vote and on the tools and services available to electors.