Community relations officer

Position description – general

Key activity

Provide information and assistance to members of their target group on where, when and ways to register and vote.

Duties

• Establish and maintain relations with target groups
• Create and implement action plan to increase election awareness
• Maintain contact between the returning officer (RO) office and electors within the target groups through interaction with organizations representing or serving them
• Distribute information, set up kiosks and deliver presentations to raise awareness and provide information about when, where and how to register and vote
• Educate electors about the identification requirements to register and vote
• Assist in making electoral process more accessible to targeted community
• Consult and coordinate activities as required with other community relations officers (CROs) or staff in RO offices located in neighbouring electoral districts (EDs)
• Assist the RO if requested with the search for suitable polling locations and help make the necessary arrangements to set them up
• Assist in implementing targeted revision programme for target group as required and cooperate with service agents
• Keep the RO informed of activities/trends in target groups
• Assist the RO and the training officer with recruitment and training

Qualifications

Experience

• Building community relations
• Volunteering or working for an organization providing services to the target community
• Interacting with the target community within the ED
• Providing outreach and community services

Knowledge of

• Target group's customs, culture, sensitivities, languages, issues and concerns
• Local organizations providing services to the target group
• Key contacts and special organizations in the community

Abilities

• Communication skills
• Strong interpersonal relations skills
• Active listening and observation skills
• Analytical reasoning skills
• Effective time management skills
• Proactive problem-solving skills

Assets

• Knowledge of the electoral process
• Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of election officers
• Bilingualism (English and French)
• Knowledge of the principles set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• Knowledge of the language(s) of the target group

Personal suitability

• Remains impartial
• Is professional
• Is a team player
• Is prepared to travel within the ED
• Is punctual and reliable
• Is conscientious, respectful and outgoing

Community relations officer – Indigenous

Specific duties

• Assist the training officer and the recruitment officer, at the Returning Officer (RO)'s request, in selecting, appointing and training Indigenous poll workers
• Assist Service Agents (SAs) with the implementation of the targeted revision program as it relates to the Indigenous population by liaising with local leaders to explain the value of being registered at the right address before polling day
• Provide translation, interpretation and literacy services as needed
• Coordinate the Aboriginal Elder and Youth Program in particular, by helping the RO recruit and train program participants (this program is for First Nations only)

Community relations officer – Accessibility

Specific Duties

• Disseminate information on assistive voting tools and information available in alternate formats
• Verify accessibility of polling locations, as directed by the returning officer (RO), one week before and on polling day(s) and complete appropriate documentation to ensure the sites meet accessibility standards
• Act as resource to the central poll supervisor (CPS) to resolve accessibility issues on polling day(s)
• Assist RO with initial fact finding on issues reported on accessibility feedback forms during advance polling days and advise RO of findings

Community relations officer – Official Languages/Ethnocultural

Specific duties

• Liaise with ethnocultural community including minority language groups by interacting with organizations representing or serving that community
• Provide translation, interpretation and literacy services as needed

Community relations officer – Homeless

Specific duties

• Make presentations to the administrators and occupants of the shelters and organizations offering services to the homeless to raise awareness about where, when and ways to register and vote
• Identify special requirements in offering outreach for electors who are homeless and advise the returning officer (RO)

Community relations officer – Seniors

Specific duties

• Maintain contact between the returning officer (RO) office and senior electors through interaction with administrators of long-term care facilities
• Inform electors who live in long-term care facilities of where, when and ways to vote
• Keep the RO advised of activities related to seniors voting

Community relations officer – Youth

The External Service Point (ESP) program involves opening Additional Assistant Returning Officer (AARO) offices at select post-secondary institutions across Canada for a specific period during the electoral calendar.

The CRO-Youth serving an ESP is appointed to work in a post-secondary institution that is part of the ESP program and will conduct outreach activities exclusively for this location leading up to and during the ESP voting days.

Specific duties

• Raise awareness of the electoral process through kiosks, presentations and information distribution *
• Liaise with administrators of post-secondary institutions within the electoral district (ED) to facilitate registration and voting
• Attend events and distribute Elections Canada (EC) informational material *
• Keep the returning officer (RO)/AARO advised of activities related to voting and youth *
• As directed by the RO, refer young electors to the recruitment officer to work as poll workers
• Assist Service Agents (SAs) with targeted revision as it relates to the youth population, if required
• Propose new ways to make the electoral process more accessible *
• Consult and coordinate activities with Community relations officer (CROs) or other RO office staff from neighbouring electoral districts *

* These specific duties apply to both CRO-Youth and CRO-ESPs.