1.4 Products, tools and resources – Section 1: Conduct of the Electoral EventConduct of the Electoral Event – Returning Officers' Report of Proceedings Summary – 44th General Election
Reception of Elections Canada's required materials
12. I received all the required materials (i.e., original shipments and subsequent orders) from EC within reasonable timeframes.
227 ROs agreed or strongly agreed with the above statement. On the other hand, 38 were neutral, while 73 disagreed or strongly disagreed.
What went well
- In most cases, scheduled shipments arrived on time and contained all the necessary materials.
- The Supply Management System by Intranet (SMSi) platform was easy to use and ordered materials were delivered quickly and efficiently.
- ECHQ responded appropriately and efficiently to requests for assistance with additional equipment orders.
What could be improved
- Implement a shipment tracking system to alleviate the stress associated with shipment delays and allow ROs to better deal with the difficulties caused by them.
- Ensure the timely delivery of shipments. In some cases, the shipment of IBM and/or telecommunications equipment was received after the expected time frame. This delayed their installation and caused some RO offices to open after the scheduled date.
- Use a distribution centre closer to the EDs in Western Canada to properly respond to an early election. Such a change would allow for a more reasonable time frame for the delivery of equipment and materials.
- Send initial shipments to Northern Canada sooner, as redistribution to remote areas can take up to seven days.
- Ensure the timely delivery of the TO's USB flash drives. Delays in their delivery resulted in difficulties in training preparation.
- Increase the quantity of materials sent to the RO office, including training materials kits and Special Voting Rules (SVR) forms, to avoid unnecessary local printing costs.
- Send the equipment directly to the AAROs to limit the opening time for the AARO office. This would eliminate delays in transferring equipment between the RO and AARO offices.
The Field Personnel Intranet and ECDocs contained all the necessary information.
13. I found everything I needed to answer questions and meet my informational needs in ECDocs and on the Field Personnel Intranet (e.g., manuals, forms, checklists, FAQs, etc.).
240 ROs agreed or strongly agreed with the above statement. On the other hand, 52 were neutral, while 46 disagreed or strongly disagreed.
What went well
- Event+ allowed ROs and other key positions to stay up to date on EC's changes of procedures and to access communications issued by EC. In addition, this tool was a great way to keep up to date with the daily tasks.
- Changes to ECDocs and the Field Personnel Intranet (e.g., the general search option and centralization of data) simplified and accelerated the search for information.
- In the majority of cases, ROs were able to find the information or documents they were looking for in ECDocs.
- In general, the FAQ section was very useful for finding quick answers to recurring questions or problems.
What could be improved
- Limit discrepancies in information on the same topic between EC communications and documents in ECDocs. This would reduce confusion about which procedures or guidelines should be followed and applied.
- Combine information on the same topic in one document to facilitate searches in ECDocs. This would allow for optimal search efficiency.
- Add a "forms and checklists" section in ECDocs, combining all forms and checklists to reduce the average search time.
- Implement a search history in ECDocs to allow for quick retrieval of information.
- Continually update the FAQ section to improve its effectiveness. This would ensure that the section is always current on key issues and that important information is conveyed in a strategic way.
Request for additional funds
14. Did you submit a request for additional funds for any section of your budget during the election calendar?
244 ROs reported having to submit a request for additional funds, while 94 did not have to do so.
What went well
- In general, EC processed requests for additional funds quickly and efficiently.
- Requests for additional funds were simple to complete and included the necessary steps to properly document them for approval.
- ROs were able to adjust their budgets as needed by transferring hours or funds within certain categories. In fact, this option was considered before requesting additional funds.
What could be improved
- Add a contingency fund to the budget to better equip ROs to quickly deal with unforeseen events, without having to go through the regular approval process.
- Provide amounts for each additional budget request separately, with a descriptive email. This would allow ROs to link the amount received to a specific request.
- Provide new ROs with in-depth training on the additional funding request process to allow them to be more comfortable and efficient.
- Increase the budget for FOs to meet operational needs and avoid having to transfer hours allocated to other positions.
Other notable comments
- The most frequent requests for additional funds were related to security, leasing polling places, PPE for COVID-19 and printing documents.
Elections Canada products and tools effectiveness
15. Did you experience any problems with functionality or processes related to any EC products or tools?
* For the tables in question 15, 0 indicates that no problems were observed, 1 indicates the observation of minor problems and 4 indicates the observation of major problems. *
Email system
Problems experienced
- The email system was sometimes slow, making it difficult to access certain communications.
- The automatic quarantine of some emails blocked access to important emails for up to four days.
- Challenges with sending email were encountered, including delays.
What could be improved
- Give EC email access to all key staff in the RO and AARO offices to allow ROs to delegate more tasks and maximize the effectiveness of each position.
Elections Canada public website
Problems experienced
- The postal code search function on the EC website was problematic and, on a few occasions, provided incorrect information for RO offices or polling places. This resulted in a significant increase in calls to RO offices, distracting staff from their primary duties.
- The EC website was often down, especially on polling day, which affected services to electors.
What could be improved
- Upgrade EC website's servers to support high traffic.
EC Connex
Problems experienced
- EC Connex frequently had speed challenges, which caused delays when creating cases and viewing pending requests.
- Contacting the Field Support Network (FSN) was a simpler way to transmit a request, as case creation in EC Connex was cumbersome.
- The appointment process in EC Connex for political candidates remained complex, and some technical problems were experienced (e.g., loss of data, difficulty modifying a case and several freezes).
What could be improved
- Analyze and address EC Connex's speed issues to improve its efficiency.
Event Results System (ERS)
Problems experienced
- During the Election Night Results Simulations, ERS did not capture the changes made in REVISE, specifically for polling station merges.
What could be improved
- No trend observed.
Field Assignments Management Tool (FAMT)
Problems experienced
- On occasion, ROs experienced problems saving in FAMT, particularly due to automatic disconnection, which resulted in loss of work completed.
What could be improved
- Implement an automatic backup in FAMT to mitigate the risk of loss of work completed.
Field Personnel Intranet
Problems experienced
- ROs had difficulty connecting to the Field Personnel Intranet with their EC laptops.
What could be improved
- Provide a refresher course for new ROs on the efficient use of the Field Personnel Intranet.
GEOExplore
Problems experienced
- Access to GEOExplore was not made available to service agents (SAs).
What could be improved
- Provide ROs with hands-on training on GEOExplore so that they acquire the technical knowledge necessary for its optimal use.
- Make GEOExplore available to SAs.
Geography products
Problems experienced
- The map with the polling divisions (PDs) contained the old PD numbers, which made it of little use to ROs and candidates.
What could be improved
- No trend observed.
Incidents, Complaints and Breaches Monitoring System (ICBMS)
Problems experienced
- The information fields in ICBMS did not match important sections of the Incident Report Form (EC 10051), which affected the efficiency of data entry.
- Since ICBMS generated a unique number instead of using the incident form number, it was difficult to retrieve data for a particular case.
What could be improved
- Give the POM access to ICBMS to ensure consistency in incident management. In several EDs, the POM was sometimes responsible for ensuring that incident forms were completed.
- Implement automatic saving/backup in ICBMS to avoid the loss of progress due to forgotten saving.
Office computer equipment
Problems experienced
- In some offices, IBM technical staff did not install the computer equipment properly the first time, resulting in operational delays.
- In some cases, there were not enough workstations for all office staff. Workstations had to be shared, limiting office efficiency.
- In some offices, the internet speed was a constant challenge.
- There were several printer-related challenges, such as printing quality or connection problems.
What could be improved
- Implement a process to ensure timely delivery of computer equipment.
- Equip RO and AARO offices with fully functional printers.
Office telephones and smartphones
Problems experienced
- Several technical problems were encountered with the office phones, resulting in lost and missed calls.
- The office staff were not trained on the phones' functionality, which brought its own set of challenges.
What could be improved
- Provide in-depth training to office staff on the use of phones in the office.
Political Entities Service Centre (PESC) portal
Problems experienced
- Many candidates chose to obtain information directly from the RO office instead of using the PESC portal, as they were not familiar with it.
- With limited knowledge and no access to the PESC portal, it was difficult for ROs to support candidates on the PESC portal.
What could be improved
- Train ROs on the PESC portal so that they can guide political candidates.
- Educate political candidates on the PESC portal so that they have the required knowledge.
Postal services
Problems experienced
- On some occasions, special ballots arrived late.
- There were delays in several shipments, including computer equipment.
- Many voter information cards (VICs) were returned late to the RO office due to an invalid address; these situations required an urgent response to ensure all electors received their VIC at the correct address.
What could be improved
- Work with the postal services to ensure their compliance with established delivery times, especially for office equipment and VICs.
Printing of the ballots
Problems experienced
- There were some instances of poor printing quality (e.g., misalignment).
- It was a challenge to receive extra paper for ballot printing.
What could be improved
- No trend observed.
Recruitment Management System (RMS)
Problems experienced
- Since RMS was not synchronized with ROPS/SITES, the RecSup and FO had to duplicate their work, creating a significant workload.
- RMS had speed issues and technical problems.
What could be improved
- Fully integrate RMS with ROPS/SITES to eliminate duplication of work between the FO and the RecSup.
- Provide training to key staff on RMS and ROPS/SITES before the issue of the writ to increase their skill level and efficiency.
REVISE
Problems experienced
- Some actions in REVISE were slow, such as printing reports, generating lists of electors and merging polling stations, which caused delays.
- Synchronization problems between REVISE and ROPS/SITES caused delays in the creation of VICs.
What could be improved
- Provide ROs and AAROs with hands-on training on REVISE during PEAs to increase their knowledge of the system.
- Provide ROs and assistant returning officers (AROs) with a refresher course on the relationship between REVISE, ROPS/SITES and the Statistics and Analytics Tool (STAT) to allow them to gain a better understanding of these systems and their challenges.
Returning Office Payment System and SITES (ROPS/SITES)
Problems experienced
- Some budget-related information was missing.
- Sometimes, when a budget transfer between compatible sections had to be done, a technical problem with ROPS/SITES prevented the transfer from being completed.
- Connecting to ROPS/SITES was difficult at the beginning of the election period.
What could be improved
- Grant ROs, AROs, AAROs and POMs access to ROPS/SITES to allow for quicker completion of activities, including signing leases.
- Refine the search option in ROPS/SITES by adding sorting options (e.g., training numbers for printouts) to allow for more efficient use.
- Change the process related to the solemn declaration so that only one is required per worker, regardless of the number of positions worked.
- Also, allowing it to be generated without a social insurance number would avoid many issues.
- Finally, removing the need for a carbon copy would speed up the production process.
Supply Management System by Intranet (SMSi)
Problems experienced
- Searching for materials in SMSi was sometimes a challenge. Occasionally, searches led to a photo of the item, instead of the actual item.
What could be improved
- Simplify the search method, in addition to adding the maximum number of units that can be ordered per item.
Targeted Outreach Program Repository (TOPR)
Problems experienced
- Community relations officers (CROs) were not able to complete their weekly reports, as they did not have access to TOPR while teleworking from their home.
What could be improved
- Modify TOPR based on EDs' already established profiles to reduce the amount of time spent on data entry.
Training officer kit
Problems experienced
- The TO kit was not sent out early enough, impacting the training set-up due to the volume of materials and information to review in a short period of time.
- The volume of training manuals and videos was very large, making it difficult to plan and deliver the training.
What could be improved
- Provide an instructional guide with the training materials to facilitate the development of the poll worker training plan.
- Synthesize the training materials to simplify the training's planning and delivery.
Voter information card
Problems experienced
- Many electors did not receive their VIC on time due to the loss of polling places, inefficient delivery, and VIC production problems, among other things. As a result, some electors did not know where to vote during the four advance polling days.
- The number of VICs returned to the RO office due to incorrect addresses was unusually high. In addition, some VICs were returned after ordinary polling day, meaning electors never received a VIC at all.
What could be improved
- Avoid VIC delivery delays by ensuring timely mailing to electors and reducing the number of undeliverable VICs due to inaccurate addresses.
- Further emphasize the deadline shown on the VIC for voting at the RO office to reduce the number of electors who show up after the deadline.