Site MenuSurvey of Electors Following the40th General Election
II. Executive Summary
A. Overview
The introduction of a new identification process for the 40th general election presented a new challenge for the smooth running of the election, a challenge that was clearly well met. Results from the survey of voters and non-voters shows that for the vast majority of electors the voting process went very smoothly, and that the new identification process presented virtually no problems at polling stations and does not appear to have acted as a barrier to voting. While the turnout for the 40th general election, at 59 percent, is the lowest recorded, the evidence from the survey suggests that the election process was not a factor accounting for the low turnout. The continuing fall in turnout appears to be linked to Canadians' views on civic responsibility and to their level of political engagement, rather than the way in which elections are administered.
Administering an election requires a large number of coordinated activities over the course of an election campaign. The various activities and stages of the election process leading up to voting day all seem to have worked well and this suggests that the policies and procedures put in place by Elections Canada facilitated the smooth running of the election. The high levels of satisfaction with the voting experience among voters from all communities provide further evidence of this.
B. Measuring Voting Behaviour
One important feature of this survey was the objective to identify, as accurately as possible, the differences between voters and non-voters across a wide range of measures. In order to do this, it was thought necessary to reduce the gap between reported voting and actual voting behaviour as much as possible. In the 39th general election survey of 2006, the gap between actual and reported voting was 22 percentage points, but this was achieved through a direct question about voting. In 2008 the question was "Many people don't vote for a variety of reasons. Were you able to vote at the October 14th federal election?" In response to this question, 73 percent report having voted. Given the actual voter turnout of 59 percent, this represents a gap of 14 percentage points between actual and self-reported voting behaviour. The advantage of this approach is that the sample size of non-voters is quite large and this allows for greater analysis to be undertaken among non-voters.
C. Registration and Voter Information Card
The various information sources put in place by Elections Canada to inform Canadians of the election, the new identification requirements and location of polling stations, and to ensure they were registered to vote, all appeared to work well. Almost all Canadians report having received a voter information card and in virtually all cases the information on the card was accurate.
D. The Voting Process
While Canadians are aware of various options for casting their ballot, most continue to choose to vote at a polling station on election day. And irrespective of how they chose to exercise their franchise, voters universally report that the voting experience was very easy. While the 40th general election introduced new voter identification requirements, the new requirements appear to have been a non-issue for almost all voters. Almost all Canadians, voters and non-voters alike, were aware of the new requirements and almost all have a positive attitude toward these requirements. However, while positive, youth and Aboriginal Canadians are slightly less strongly positive than the population overall. The most likely explanation for youth's less than highly positive response is that youth are more mobile than other groups and may have found it somewhat more difficult to provide proof of address. In the case of Aboriginal Canadians, other sources indicate that it is just more challenging for them to comply with the new ID requirements, either because they tend to have less ID documents or because the format of addresses is an issue, particularly in the North.
Among those going to the polls, most (83%) report that they brought their voter information card and virtually all (98%) report having acceptable identification with them. Of the 1,844 respondents from the national survey who report that they went to the polls, just 35 respondents report being initially turned away for lack of appropriate documents. Well over half of this group voted, either because they went home for the appropriate identification, swore an oath as to their identity, or were simply allowed to vote. In total, 8 persons reported they were unable to vote because of a lack of appropriate documentation. (This corresponds to 0.32 percent of the respondents surveyed. If extrapolated to the proportion of the 23 million potential voters who actually voted (59%) then 43,000 or so potential voters could have been turned away because of a lack of appropriate identification). Confirmation for the lack of difficulties with the new requirements, for most voters, is found in the fact that across all groups, nine-in-ten or more report that it was "very" easy to meet the new requirements and almost all of the remainder report that it was "easy".
In almost all cases, voters experienced no problems in finding the polling station and almost all say that the location was convenient for them. In most cases, polling stations appear to have had a steady flow of voters all day with a peak around supper time, but by 5 p.m. six-in-ten voters had already cast their ballot. The actual process of voting appears to have been trouble-free for virtually all voters and 99 percent report being satisfied with the language in which they were served. Moreover, satisfaction with the amount of time voters waited to cast a ballot, with the instructions for casting a ballot, and with the services provided by Elections Canada is also very high (over 95%).
E. Voter Information Services
In terms of information provided about voting and election procedures, the voter information card was easily the most important source for electors. Of increased importance for this election was the role of the media, as more Canadians report having received information from TV, radio and newspapers.
The Elections Canada flyer was also a highly used source with just under half reporting that they saw the flyer. Information concerning the new identification requirements is the most frequently recalled element of the flyer.
A small number (4%) of Canadians report having contacted Elections Canada during the campaign, and those who did so report a high level of service received.
F. Elections Canada Advertising
Overall, there is very high recall of at least one of the channels (TV, radio, newspapers) that Elections Canada used to communicate with citizens regarding election procedures. TV and radio are most readily recalled, with newspapers somewhat less so except among older electors who are well above average in their recall of Elections Canada newspaper advertising.
Canadians recall a variety of messages, but information about all or some aspects of the new identification requirements is most frequently recalled, followed by general Elections Canada information, the date of the election and, a reminder to vote. Recall of the slogan used in the campaign this year "Vote. Shape your world.", is extremely limited.
G. Elections and Politics
While attitudes toward the electoral process are uniformly positive, views are somewhat more mixed regarding citizenship, voting, elected representatives, political parties and politics in general. Canadians remain committed to the concept of it being a citizen's civic duty to vote, although a quarter of the population do not appear to be fully committed to this principle. Perhaps more troubling is the finding that fewer Canadians, and especially youth and Aboriginal Canadians, are prepared to agree strongly that low voter turnout weakens democracy.
Two statements tested in the research demonstrate that, despite some scepticism, political parties remain viable vehicles for expressing the needs and wants of Canadians. In particular, three-quarters of electors agree that "the political parties talked about issues that are important to you", although only a fifth agree "strongly". Further, a majority of Canadians reject the view that "All federal political parties are similar, there is no choice." Just over a third embrace this position.
The level of cynicism regarding more abstract political issues remains relatively high. This is reflected by the almost two-thirds who agree with the statement that "In general, elected representatives are not in touch with citizens," although only a fifth do so "strongly". Further, almost three-quarters agree that "Political parties are too influenced by people who have a lot of money," although just under a third do so "strongly". In all cases it should be noted, however, that the proportion agreeing "totally" is small, and this suggests that these negative views are weakly held by most Canadians and that political cynicism is not deeply entrenched.
Overall, attitudes toward the responsibility to vote, and to a lesser extent the threat to democracy of not voting, are among the single biggest factors among those explored in the survey associated with voting behaviour. Responses to these statements also suggest that they may be one important factor accounting for the lower turnout given that neither is a universally held belief. Analysis of responses to the questions dealing with attitudes toward the political process also suggests that the extent to which parties offer voters clear political choices and discuss issues of importance to electors is not strongly linked to voting behaviour, suggesting the possibility that, while these issues may have some impact on voting behaviour, they are not strongly associated with lower turnouts. By the same token, attitudes toward the more abstract political issues of the influence of wealth on political decisions and politicians being out of touch with the public appear to have even less impact on voting behaviour. Conversely, the level of engagement with the election appears to be a crucial factor influencing voting behaviour. Levels of interest in politics and, to an even greater degree, the extent of following the campaign are highly associated with voting behaviour. The implication here is that these two factors are vitally important in voting behaviour and that in addition to a sense of civic responsibility, it is issues and candidates that draw the attention of voters.
H. Analysis of Sub-Populations
In order to explore issues relating to voting behaviour among key groups that may face challenges in voting, special oversamples of 500 each of youth (18‑24 years of age), Aboriginal Canadians (250 living on reserves and 250 living off-reserve) and members of immigrant and visible minority communities was undertaken. In addition, specific questions were developed and asked these groups and also for seniors and the disabled. A further innovation for this survey was a focus on the potential impact of technology and social media on issues related to voting behaviours.
1. Youth
Youth participation and involvement in the electoral process is somewhat lower than found among the general population. There are a number of background factors that appear associated with youth voting, but one of the most significant appears to be whether these electors live at home with their parents. Those living at home with parents are more likely to report voting than those living away from home, especially if they are non-students. Presumably, the social environment of the home and where parents vote is conducive to younger people being encouraged to vote, although they still do not vote at the same level as their parents' generation. Once away from home, the lack of those supports is in many instances enough to dampen voting behaviour. The implication here is that further efforts will be required to reach youth who are outside the home environment, possibly in places where youth congregate, such as bars or clubs, or through the media youth consume, which is increasingly digital.
Two suggestions made by youth to increase youth participation focus on identifying and discussing issues relevant to youth and engaging students more through schools, by focussing both on the responsibility to vote and on building awareness, engagement and involvement in the political process and political issues. Wider usage of technologies was also suggested.
2. Aboriginal Canadians
In total, 54 percent of Aboriginal Canadians report that they cast a ballot in the 40th general election. Those who voted tend to be older (above 35 years of age), more affluent, in the labour force, living off-reserve and in urban centres. Although there are a variety of suggestions made by Aboriginal Canadians for encouraging their peers to vote, there is no consensus on steps to take. Suggestions focus on the electoral process, such as the use of the Internet (for voting), building awareness of the need to vote as well as civic duty, and political factors like making issues relevant to the Aboriginal community and more trustworthy politicians. While awareness among Aboriginal Canadians of the mainstream Elections Canada advertising directed at all citizens is good, there is limited awareness of the advertising focused on their community and limited recall of messages other than an encouragement to vote.
3. Immigrant/Visible Minorities
Overall, as noted throughout this report, the immigrant and visible minority populations surveyed have much in common in attitudes and voting behaviour with Canadian electors overall. However, there are some key differences. Among them is that there are differences in voting behaviour separating those whose first language is English or French from those for whom it is not and those belonging to visible minority and non-visible minority groups. Those who report English or French as their mother tongue and those who are non-visible minorities are more likely to report voting in the 2008 election. Number of years in Canada is also a significant determinant of voting, with new immigrants being less likely to report voting. It is more than likely that these factors (language and visible minority status) are linked in some way to years in Canada and hence to voting behaviour. Suggestions made for encouraging immigrants and visible minorities to vote include that Elections Canada should focus more on reaching into these communities and should promote the civic responsibility to vote within immigrant communities.
4. The Elderly
While 83 percent of those 65 years of age or older report having voted, it is likely that the strong norms around voting and the duty to vote could lead to some overreporting by age among older Canadians. This suggests that it might be important to explore what could encourage seniors, as well as youth and other groups, to vote. Older Canadians most often suggest enhanced access to transportation to polling stations.
5. Disabled Persons
Suggestions for encouraging more disabled persons to vote focus on making voting more accessible, both in terms of alternatives to current methods of casting a ballot and transportation to polling stations.
I. Technological Focus
The main findings from this analysis is the wide variety of new technologies and social media, Facebook in particular, that have been embraced by all segments of society and the linkage, or lack of it, of some of these technologies to voting behaviour. At the same time, on-line technologies are being used by some across all segments of society, and particularly youth, to discuss politics. Interestingly, among youth, those reporting that they did not vote in 2008 do use on-line technologies to discuss politics. The challenge in these findings for Elections Canada is to explore ways of using these technologies to further engage youth, as well as the population overall, in the electoral process.