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Survey of Returning Officers (Returning Officer Report of Proceedings)

Executive Summary - Overall

  • Overall satisfaction with Elections Canada (Q10) has declined since 2006 and agreement that preparations leading up to polling day went smoothing (Q3) was significantly lower, however, there are many increases and decreases in findings. In fact, twice as many increases. There have been 67 statistically significant increases since 2006, more than twice the number of decreases (32).
  • When condensing each questionnaire section, two sections have seen a statistical improvement in comparison to the 39th General Election namely the section pertaining to pre- event assignments, geography and sites (+8%) as well as the section relating to computer equipment, software, lists and data (+10%). No section has seen an overall decrease.
  • Section 6 dealing with political party meetings and nominations, and Section 9 dealing with the Assessment of Services of Corporate Finance Sector went well, as in 2006.
  • Section 4 on staff recruitment and training had lower scores again, as in 2006; section 10 (Event Management System and Event Results System (ERS); and section 11 Community and Outreach Activities were also low.
  • Agreement that the process of special balloting was improved considerably compared to 2006.
  • Agreement that the Aboriginal CRO and the outreach activities they conducted to create a positive impact on turnout amongst the Aboriginal community was down considerably form 2006.
  • Satisfaction regarding many attributes regarding the field liaison officer increased significantly in 2008, including overall satisfaction with the FLO
  • Overall satisfaction with most elements regarding training dropped in 2008, these scores were driven lower by the 21 respondents who did not receive training
  • Automated production of the list of polling locations was the most useful element of ROPS/SITES – deleting sites was rated the least useful
  • New ROs were less satisfied with many elements compared to experienced ROs
  • The biggest drop occurred in the smoothness of preparations leading up to polling day. Seven out of ten ROs (71%) agree that the preparations went smoothly compared to 89% in 2006. This percentage is statistically superior in Quebec (85%) and lower in Alberta (46%), Nova Scotia (55%) and British Columbia (56%).
  • As a whole, seven out of ten Returning Officers (70%) felt that the 40th General Election went well. This percentage is statistically inferior to the 82% obtained in 2006. In Quebec, 81% of ROs feel the Election went smoothly compared to 46% in Alberta.

Executive Summary - Private Organizations

  • Respondents are satisfied with services and support provided by Canada Post and IBM.
  • Satisfaction with Canada Post is good and quite similar to results obtained in 2006. All facets pertaining to Canada Post obtained average scores superior to 4.5 out of 5.
  • Ontario respondents tend to be less satisfied with Canada Post than other respondents. New ROs also tend to be more critical of Canada Post than experienced ROs.
  • With regards to IBM, results are comparable to 2006. Once again, Ontario ROs expressed lower levels of satisfaction than their colleagues from the rest of Canada.
  • Satisfaction with the telephone services varies greatly. Some elements such as installation, support and overall services received from the phone company have had significant increases in satisfaction levels, while other elements such as email reporting, training manuals and videos were evaluated less favourably this time around.

Executive Summary - Pre-event Assignments, Geography and SITES

  • Pre-event assignments were pertinent and well received. However, it would seem that too much information was provided, while the number of hours to complete the various tasks was insufficient.
  • The structure, frequency, timetable and effort required to complete pre-event assignments does not seem to have caused any issues, but certain improvements may increase overall satisfaction.
  • All elements pertaining to geography (e.g. maps, documents, poll key content, etc.) obtained relatively high average scores and in most cases these results show a net improvement compared to 2006. However, the functionalities and usefulness of GeoExplore were less appreciated. Overall, satisfaction levels tend to be higher in Quebec and lower in Alberta.
  • The SITES web application was perceived to be useful for most facets measured. It proved particularly useful for administering polling sites and adding new ones, but not as useful when it came to deleting sites that are no longer used. Accessibility and ease of use were achieved. Satisfaction with web applications is good. Respondents from British Columbia seem to have experienced the most hardship with SITES.

Executive Summary - Staff Training

  • In terms of staff recruitment and training, we see some improvements regarding the quality of training. The pay rates for personnel are, however, an issue to be addressed. The quality of training materials offered to election officials and to staff would obtain better results if improved upon.
  • Satisfaction with the Field Liaison Officer has increased compared to 2006.
  • Respondents were asked to evaluate their level of satisfaction with regards to training and recruitment. Scores attributed to training videos, lesson plan for DROs and Poll clerks as well as those awarded to elements pertaining to ordinary polls are below average. Scores are higher for elements such as organizational structure of the office and rules governing partisan activities. Furthermore, we see that Quebec respondents tend to exhibit higher satisfaction levels than other respondents and experienced ROs also tend to be more satisfied than new ROs
  • Respondents have indicated a preference for DVDs rather than VHS.
  • Finally, some training tools, notably the evaluation forms and the retention test were allocated scores that are slightly below average and should be reassessed.

Executive Summary - Computer EQ.

  • Computer equipment and software, as a whole, have higher satisfaction scores than in 2006. ERS, RA interface, RO interface, and the quality of computer equipment are among the elements for which we see significant improvements. Once again, we see some statistical differences between experienced ROs and new ROs.
  • Some elements pertaining to software should be examined in order to increase overall satisfaction. These elements are the connectivity during the election, the e-mail system, the Supplies Management System (SMS), and the accuracy of mailing addresses provided for VICs.
  • Respondents were then asked to rate their level of agreement with various statements. The following statements obtained average scores that have room for improvement: use of unique identifier to improve the flow of electors at the polling stations, use of a date of birth improved the flow of electors at the polling stations, and when you requested info from the e-mail system.
  • Scores for registration and revision are similar to the last election.
  • Special voting rules and ballots obtained relatively high scores.
  • ROPS / SITES were awarded exceptionally high scores and proved useful for all elements measured. Everything from the automated production of the list of polling locations to modifying the information on existing sites were positively evaluated by respondents.

Executive Summary - Meetings With Political Parties

  • The levels of satisfaction pertaining to meetings with political parties and nominations are quite good. Increased levels of satisfaction are not statistically significant because results were already quite high in 2006, but they do demonstrate that some improvements have been received favourably.
  • When asked to evaluate their level of agreement with the various statements pertaining to meetings with political parties and nominations, most respondents expressed relatively high levels of agreement. Exception being: all candidates attended the meetings.

Executive Summary - Polling Day Activities

  • Satisfaction with polling day activities is relatively good. There are, however, two elements that could still be improved - rules for voter identification and rules for registration of polling day.
  • A security guard in the office on polling day was useful according to half of the ROs surveyed.

Executive Summary - Support for ROs and Election Officers

  • The level of satisfaction with Elections Canada Support Network (ECSN) is quite good. It scores high in terms of courtesy of service provided, structure, and professionalism of advisors.
  • Elements that could be improved are:
    1. The HelpVisiion system
    2. The overall speed and accuracy of answers
    3. The ease of use
      These elements were satisfactory for half of those surveyed.
  • Overall scores allocated to the Field Liaison Officer have improved significantly in comparison with the results obtained in 2006.

Executive Summary - Assessment of Services of Corporate Finance Sector

  • Questions pertaining to the assessment of services of the corporate finance sector are good. The financial officer's hours were the main element that caused dissatisfaction among respondents.
  • Other elements that could be improved to increase overall satisfaction are: accountable advance for temporary staff, budget module, and reimbursement claims submitted to Elections Canada.

Executive Summary - EMS/ERS

  • The section pertaining to Event Management System (EMS) obtained the lowest scores in the questionnaire. This was also the case during the last election. The percentages of satisfied respondents for this module range between 35% for EMS as a tool for scheduling the ROs work and 69% for the ease of using EMS. Thus, Elections Canada would greatly gain in addressing some of the issues that pertain to the EMS.
  • The Poll-by-Poll Result report (EC 10042) was not frequently requested by the media. It was requested by candidates and appreciated overall.

Executive Summary - CRO

  • Satisfaction with community activities is nearly identical to what was obtained in the last election. There are no statistical increases or decreases.
  • Generally speaking, it would seem that posters and the reminder card on voter identification requirements at the polls, the supply of voter information materials to meet requests from the general public and candidates as well as supply of reminder cards were greater than the needs of ROs.
  • Most Returning Officers hired the number of CROs they were allowed to. When the position was left vacant, the main reasons evoked were that the RO did not see a need for the position because other staff members were able to conduct the necessary outreach activities or because the voter turnout was deemed high enough. And finally, in certain cases like in the Aboriginal community, recruitment for the CRO was too difficult.
  • Scores pertaining to Aboriginal Community Relations Officer are slightly lower than those among other communities (i.e. Youth, Ethno-cultural, and Other).
  • AEYP scores indicate that potential challenges exist.
  • For the most part, average scores for outreach activities are positive, but there remains room for improvement.

Comparison 2008 versus 2006

  • The following table presents the overall scores obtained for each section of the report. In order to compile these results, scores pertaining to levels of agreement, satisfaction and usefulness were utilized.
  • As a whole, we can see that results for 2008 are quite similar to those obtained in 2006. However, two sections have seen a statistical improvement in comparison to the 39th General Election namely the section pertaining to pre-event assignments, geography and sites (+8%) as well as the section relating to computer equipment, software, lists and data (+10%).
2008
Average Score out of 5
2008 Combined
(Score 4 & 5)
2006
Average Score out of 5
2006 Combined
(Score 4 & 5)
Part 1 : Overall View 4.04 76% 4.02 76%
Part 2: Private Organizations 3.94 73% 3.96 73%
Part 3: Pre-Event Assignments, Geography and Sites 3.86 69% arrow up to show increase 3.63 61%
Part 4: Staff Recruitment and Training 3.60 59% 3.71 63%
Part 5: Computer Equipment, Software, Lists and Data 3.92 72% arrow up to show increase 3.65 62%
Part 6: Meetings with Political Parties and Nominations 4.16 81% 4.24 83%
Part 7: Polling Day Activities and Validation of Results 3.90 71% 3.90 70%
Part 8: Support Available to Returning Officers and Election Officers 4.04 75% 3.90 70%
Part 9: Assessment of Services of Corporate Finance Sector 4.12 80% 4.05 78%
Part 10: Event Management System (EMS) and Event Results System (ERS) 3.31 50% 3.16 44%
Part 11: Community and Outreach Activities - Community Relations Officer 3.57 57% 3.70 63%
TOTAL 3.86 69% 3.81 68%