Site Menu2. Information Campaign for Electors – Report on the 2022 By-election
Objectives of the campaign
During the by-election, Elections Canada ran a voter information campaign designed to provide electors with all the information they needed on where, when and the ways to register and vote and the safety measures in place. The multimedia campaign included paid advertisements in radio, print and digital formats; organic and paid social media; information on elections.ca; a public enquiries unit; direct mail; outreach to specific groups of electors; and media relations.
Multimedia campaign
The multimedia campaign included advertisements on three radio stations as well as on Spotify, YouTube audio, in six daily and weekly publications and through out-of-home elements such as digital screens in residential buildings and digital billboards. The Voter Information Campaign was also highly visible on several digital platforms, including social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google) and multiple websites.
The campaign had four phases with distinct focuses: registration, voter information card awareness, early voting options and election day. It also positioned Elections Canada as the official source of information on registering and voting and directed electors to elections.ca and to the agency's toll-free number for additional information. A complementary campaign provided information on the health and safety measures that were in place to ensure electors could register and cast their vote safely.
Social media
Elections Canada used social media to share information and digital products about where, when and the ways to register and vote.
The agency also used its Twitter and Facebook accounts to respond to questions from the public. Popular topics included clarification regarding where and when the by-election was occurring and enquiries related to the modified ballot format.
- Elections Canada's corporate social media accounts received 180 questions and comments about the Mississauga–Lakeshore by-election.
- Between November 7 and December 14, 2022, the agency responded to 34 enquiries related to the by-election through social media channels.
Website
As in past elections, the Elections Canada website prominently featured a by-election section explaining the various ways to vote, offering two online services to help electors find the information they needed to be ready to vote, and providing other details about voting. Electors could use the Online Voter Registration Service to register or check whether their information was correct. As usual, electors could also enter their postal code into the Voter Information Service to learn who the candidates for their electoral district were, where and when they could vote, and the accessibility features of their polling place. For the first time, the Voter Information Service also offered an improved "search by address" page to help electors find their polling station or polling stations that had been merged or split. The website also provided information about voter eligibility, safety measures in place at local offices, and voting locations and identification requirements for voting.
All told, there were 327,179 visits to the website during the 2022 by-election period, 40,058 of which were on the by-election pages. This represents a decrease from the 149,037 visits to the by-election pages during the previous federal by-elections held in Toronto Centre (Ontario) and York Centre (Ontario) on October 26, 2020.
Live election results were published on the website as ballots were counted. On election night, there were 32,210 visits to the Election Night Results application and 48,124 visits the next day.
Enquiries from electors
Elections Canada's Public Enquiries Unit responds to calls and emails from electors on a variety of topics, such as registration, polling place location, accessibility, identification requirements, and voting procedures. Agents in the Public Enquiries Unit at Elections Canada headquarters responded to 166 enquiries about the by-election in Mississauga–Lakeshore, while the Elections Canada office in Mississauga–Lakeshore handled 2,017 enquiries. The most common topics were related to employment, Special Voting Rules (voting by special ballot), polling place information and Voter Information Cards not being received.
Direct mail
Elections Canada mailed voter information cards (VICs) to electors whose names appeared on the preliminary lists of electors in Mississauga–Lakeshore. 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 advance polls opened, Elections Canada also sent all households in the electoral district a guide to the federal by-election with information about voter eligibility, registration, ways to vote, identification requirements (including information about accepted pieces of identification), safety measures, accessibility of polling locations, and voting assistance tools and services available on election day. The guide also prompted electors to contact Elections Canada if they had not received a VIC.
| Number of VICs sent | Number of guides sent |
|---|---|
| 116,545 footnote 5 | 42,337 |
Due to challenges in securing polling places, only 37% footnote 6 of initial VICs were sent by the statutory deadline of November 18, 2022. footnote 7 By November 21, 2022, footnote 8 all initial VICs were sent to electors. An additional 27,851 revised VICs were subsequently distributed to electors in order to clarify the address information for an advance polling place situated in a shopping centre with multiple entrances and addresses. Elections Canada monitored the environment to ensure that these delays did not have an impact on field office operations or electors.
Community relations and outreach
As part of Elections Canada's outreach efforts to groups that often face greater barriers to voting, the returning officer was asked to determine whether a community relations officer should be appointed based on the demographics and needs in their electoral district.
No community relations officers were appointed in Mississauga–Lakeshore. However, one staff member acted as the community relations officer to help raise awareness and provide information about when, where and how to register and vote and liaise with organizations and facilities providing services to students, seniors, and homeless and ethnocultural electors.
Media relations
Elections Canada's Media Relations handled approximately 18 media requests regarding the Mississauga–Lakeshore by-election. Most enquiries focused on candidates and political entities, voting procedures and election results.
The agency issued 14 news releases related to the Mississauga–Lakeshore by-election. News releases are an important component of Elections Canada's efforts to reach out to and inform the public through traditional media.
Footnotes
Return to footnote 5 A total of 120,699 were printed by the contractor, but 4,154 were removed before being sent due to a change in polling location.
Return to footnote 6 32,506 VICs.
Return to footnote 7 The Canada Elections Act, Article 95.1 states that "each returning officer shall, as soon as possible after the issue of a writ but not later than the 24th day before polling day, send a notice of confirmation of registration to every elector whose name appears on the preliminary list of electors."
Return to footnote 8 Day 21 in the electoral period.