Igniting Voter Participation in the 42nd Federal Election

Prepared by John Beebe and José Ramón Martí

© Samara Canada 2015

Table of Contents

Samara Canada ....................................................................................................................................... 3

Vote PopUp: A Module of the Democracy Talks Program ....................................................................... 3
Key Messages ......................................................................................................................................... 4
A Toolkit for Community Groups to Ignite Voter Participation ............................................................... 5
Engaging Those Least Likely to Vote ....................................................................................................... 5
Designing Vote PopUp for Community Groups ....................................................................................... 6
Lessons Learned ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Looking Forward ................................................................................................................................... 10

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 Samara Canada
Samara Canada is dedicated to reconnecting citizens to politics.
Established as a charity in 2009, we have become Canada’s most
trusted, non-partisan champion of increased civic engagement and a
more positive public life.

Samara Canada’s research and educational programming shine new light on Canada’s democratic
system and encourage greater political participation across the country to build better politics, and a
better Canada, for everyone.

Vote PopUp: A Module of the Democracy Talks Program

In 2013, using research and working in association with community
groups, Samara Canada set out to reinvent civic education beyond
school walls. The result is Democracy Talks; a flexible, yet structured
and tested, approach to getting newcomers, youth and marginalized
communities to take the first step on the path toward political
engagement.

As one of Canada’s leading educational charities which supports

efforts to improve democratic participation, Samara understands the
valuable role that civic and social organizations play as trusted
educators in our democracy.

That is why our Democracy Talks program is delivered in partnership

with community groups, empowering local leaders and staff to
organize outreach activities that are meaningful within their
communities. Participant practices the mechanics of
voting at a neighbourhood centre.
Through this long-term effort, Samara provides programming and training for community-based
organizations to help Canadians who are disengaged discover and develop their political voice.

The principles of Democracy Talks are that political engagement should be community-based, active, run
by trusted intermediaries and fun!

As Canadians prepared for the 42nd federal election, community organizations and civic leaders were
looking for creative and meaningful ways to engage their communities in the electoral process. In
response, Samara created Vote PopUp as the election module of Democracy Talks.

Vote PopUp embraces the principles of Democracy Talks and reminds participants that they have a voice
and that it matters.

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 Key Messages
Made Possible by our Funders
 In 2011, voter turnout was on the
The Vote PopUp initiative would not be
decline, with only 61% of eligible
possible without the generous support of our
Canadians casting a ballot. Non-voters
funders. In addition to providing seed funding
within this cohort were
for the Vote PopUp toolkit and programming,
disproportionately young, racialized,
Elections Canada provided authoritative
marginalized or some combination of
information about voting, and supplied ballot
these.
boxes and voting screens to increase the
 In 2015, community groups that authenticity of the experience.
served this cohort wanted to include
their members in formal politics and
sought effective tools to engage their
communities in the election and
reverse the decline in voter
participation.
 As part of that wave of interest in Other supporters include Laidlaw Foundation,
encouraging voter turnout, Samara Inspirit Foundation, Patagonia, Your Canada -
launched the Vote PopUp toolkit as a Your Constitution and individual supporters.
free download on July 7th, 2015. The
program was designed to foster
interest in the election and demystify the voting process for first-time and infrequent voters. By
October 19th, less than four months later:
 The kit had been downloaded by 456 people in either English or French;
 440 community leaders and staff had been trained at 13 sessions in five cities, including
Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax;
 At least 330 community groups had been involved in Vote PopUp activities (such as
holding Vote PopUp events, attending trainings or downloading the kit); and
 Samara was able to document 226 Vote PopUps that were organized and held.
 Vote PopUps occurred in such varied locations as a homeless shelter in Calgary, a settlement
agency in Toronto, a mobile library in Ottawa and a farmers’ market in Vancouver.
 Over 2,000 individuals were reported to have participated in a Vote PopUp.
 Vote PopUp imparted vital information from Elections Canada about where, when and how to
vote.
 Organizers reported successful program implementation and
many—including The Stop Community Food Centre in Toronto
and the Canadian Arab Institute—went on to run multiple Vote
PopUp events.
 Vote PopUp stories were featured in at least 21 media outlets and
hundreds of social media posts.
 In 2015, voter turnout increased to 69%, the highest in 22 years.
 When organizers were surveyed, 98% of respondents said they
would run a Vote PopUp again.

The Vote PopUp toolkit is

available at samaracanada.com

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 A Toolkit for Community Groups to Ignite Voter Participation
In the lead-up to the 42nd federal election, Vote PopUp enabled hundreds of community groups to
spark a conversation about what matters to Canadians and demystify the voting process for first-time
and infrequent voters.

Along with the formation of a new government, the 2015 federal

election witnessed a historic surge in voter turnout and a dramatic “I’ve never once voted in 20
increase in participation over the last federal election. While this years. It never occurred to
sharp rise can be attributed to various factors, widespread efforts me because I have a lot of
to educate and motivate voters certainly played a role. When worries. Maybe I will vote
community-based organizations sought to ignite voter on Monday. It isn’t as hard
participation, there was one tool they reached for more than any as I thought.” — Participant
other: Vote PopUp.

Engaging Those Least Likely to Vote

For citizens, voting has historically served as a powerful expression of
political voice. Yet, over the past three decades, voter turnout
steadily declined. Making matters worse, young people, newcomers,
vulnerable populations and other marginalized groups have tended
to vote at even lower rates, further reinforcing the cycle of exclusion
and their sense of powerlessness.

These trends raise a disturbing question: if politics is how we make

decisions, and some voices are not heard, how do we know we are
Simulated poll at a drop-in centre.
making the right decisions? "We have a democracy,” remarked one
Vote PopUp organizer, “which means we should hear everyone's voice.”

As Vote PopUp organizers observed, first-time and infrequent voters often

encounter a variety of barriers to voting: a lack of knowledge, distrust of
politicians and the political system, and even unfamiliarity with the process of
voting itself. With communities confronting a multitude of barriers, it is
unlikely that any single response can address them all.

With Vote PopUp, Samara pioneered a novel approach to voter engagement in

which trusted leaders and local organizations engaged their communities in
meaningful conversations—asking questions and validating concerns and prior
experiences—and presented creative opportunities for participants to practice
voting and express why voting is important to them.
“I vote because it helps
others!”

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One organizer affirmed that Vote PopUp could “help people of any age understand what’s expected and
remove some of the intimidation and confusion around the voting process.” Another organizer found
that it “encouraged people to ask the questions they were uncertain about, practice the actual process
of voting and see how simple and painless it is.”

Designing Vote PopUp for Community Groups

Before the October 19th election, community groups and civic leaders
throughout Canada were looking for effective tools to engage their
communities and reverse the decline in voter turnout. To meet this urgent
need, Samara Canada created the Vote PopUp kit.

As a fun and flexible activity that could be run at little or no cost, Vote
PopUp enabled community organizers to simulate the voting experience by
recreating a polling place in a variety of settings, with Elections Canada
freely supplying ballot boxes, voting screens and informational materials.
This experience gave first-time and infrequent voters the opportunity to
practice casting a ballot, learn about voting requirements and affirm their
commitment to political participation. But Vote PopUp did more than that: Organizers decide what issues
it turned the standard model of voter engagement on its head. or choices appear on the ballot.

Unlike other approaches that stress

particular reasons for voting or simply
command people to vote, Vote
PopUp fostered interest in the
election by asking participants what
matters to them and connecting their
interests and concerns with the
electoral process. As Jane Hilderman,
Samara’s Executive Director, noted,
“Instead of arriving with a poster of
someone else’s top ten reasons to
Participants share why voting is important on a large banner.
vote, Vote PopUp organizers left with
a poster of the many reasons people in their community felt voting was important.”

In the weeks and months leading up to the election, local, regional and national organizations like the
Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, Young Voters of PEI and the Canadian Arab Institute took up the cause,
setting up Vote PopUps at local festivals and food banks, in drop-in centres and student residences and
during farmers’ markets and adult education classes, among a variety of other locations.

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 Lessons Learned
Through Samara’s research and
programming and the work of
community organizations, we have
found that when people engage in
political conversation they are more
likely to become politically active. Based
on these insights, we designed an
engagement activity that asked
participants what matters to them and
highlighted their response. In addition
to giving participants a chance to
develop their political voice, Vote
PopUp imparted vital information about
where, when and how to vote.
Vote PopUp by the Numbers:
 In only 104 days, the toolkit was downloaded
by 456 people in 76 towns and cities across
all 10 provinces and 1 territory.
 At least 330 community groups held a Vote
PopUp, attended a training or accessed the
toolkit.
 440 staff members, students and volunteers
participated in 13 training sessions in 5 cities
from coast-to-coast.
 #VotePopUp was used over 600 times to
share stories and pictures on social media.
 Vote PopUp was mentioned by at least 21
different media outlets, spanning print, web,
radio and television.

Samara launched Vote PopUp on July

7th, 2015. By Election Day, hundreds of
community groups throughout Canada
had downloaded the toolkit, thousands
of Canadians had practiced voting and
reports of polls “popping up” had
spread throughout traditional and
social media. The tool had worked.

What lessons can be drawn from its Youth training at Samara’s headquarters in Toronto, one of 13 training
success? sessions led by Samara staff.

1. Keep It Simple and Flexible

Community groups and local leaders felt comfortable using the kit because it was an easy-to-use and
highly adaptable toolkit that met an identified need.

2. Provide Regular and Ongoing Training and Support

Samara—building on an existing network of engaged community groups and individuals—invested time
and effort into supporting organizers and ensuring its successful implementation.

Samara provided community organizations and civic leaders:

“Doing this practice vote
makes me feel more confident
about Election Day. I kept
worrying that I would do
something wrong. Now I see
this voting thing is simple. I
like that.” — Participant
 Email and telephone support;
 In-person training in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa
and Halifax;
 Bi-weekly newsletters;
 Regularly updated web resources;
 Coordinators and volunteers in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa
and Calgary; and
 A post-election survey to see what worked well and what
could be improved.

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The Vote PopUp kit was downloaded in 76 municipalities across Canada.

3. Demystify the Voting Process

For first-time or infrequent voters, the mechanics of voting can be a

barrier to participation. For some new Canadians, prior voting
experiences may have been frustrating or even intimidating. Vote
PopUp clarified what was needed to vote and illustrated the
simplicity of voting by walking participants through the process.
Indeed, the vast majority of organizers who responded to our survey
reported an increase in participants’ knowledge of voting. As an
eager participant from Afghanistan admitted, “It was confusing how
the process works so now everything is clear. I’ll be pretty confident
Participant listens attentively to a
familiar voice in her community.
about voting in the future.”

For individuals who never or rarely vote, Vote PopUp demystified the process by:
 confirming they were registered with up-to-date information;
 informing them about acceptable forms of identification;
 ensuring they knew how, where and when to vote; and
 allowing them to practice casting a ballot.
With Vote PopUp, everyone could participate and have their voice heard.
For people who care deeply about their community but could not yet vote
because of their age or citizenship status, Vote PopUp permitted them to
feel included while gaining valuable knowledge, confidence and hands-on
experience voting. “Vote PopUp will make me ready to vote one day,” a
permanent resident from Colombia assured. “I’m voting because…”

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 4. Motivate Voter Participation

For Canadians, motivation is a significant barrier to participation. With

Vote PopUp, people were not told why to vote. Instead, they were asked
what matters to them. They were then able to make their own connection
between their interests and aspirations and the electoral process. “People
want to talk about not just voting, but how issues affect them,” confirmed
one organizer. By inviting people to talk about the issues that concern
them, they were more inclined to act. As one participant confessed, “I’ve
never once voted in 20 years. It never occurred to me because I have a lot
of worries. Maybe I will vote on Monday. It isn’t as hard as I thought.”

Moreover, Vote PopUp helped create a cultural expectation of

“I would appreciate getting the
chance to vote. This has really
made me motivated." –
Participant and recent refugee
engagement. By inviting participants to set an example for others, Vote
PopUp extended beyond the personal and transformed the way others in
the community perceived their role as active citizens. By encouraging new
civic norms and patterns of behaviour, Vote PopUp reinforced a cultural
shift towards greater political engagement.

5. Support Local, Trusted, and Non-Partisan Outreach

Until this election, often due to limited capacity and

funding barriers, democratic engagement had not figured
prominently in the work of many community-based
organizations. Nevertheless, when Canadians are contacted
by local organizations they know and trust, they are much
more likely to respond and engage in the political process.
For young Canadians and new citizens voting for the first
time, these organizations serve as a critical and trusted
source of information and guidance.
Student engages a fellow student on campus.
By using Samara’s practical and comprehensive toolkit to
engage diverse communities in the election, organizations like North York Harvest Food Bank and
Calgary Alternative Support Services discovered the
confidence and resources to undertake voter
engagement activities for the very first time.
Vote PopUp gave local groups and community leaders a
non-partisan platform to showcase their civic
involvement. By avoiding partisanship, organizers could
ensure that everyone felt welcomed to participate.
Driven by a deep understanding and connection to their
communities, organizers were able to make the
experience both meaningful and enjoyable for
participants. Their efforts to catalyze discussion
"If they don’t know what [voting] looks like, this is one
way to show them that it’s not scary. It can be exciting.”
between neighbours, staff and volunteers also served to
– Organizer strengthen social bonds.

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From neighbourhood houses and settlement agencies to food banks and
student associations, a multitude of community organizations “I like this activity. It’s
participated in Vote PopUp. An array of advocacy groups, public libraries simple. Democracy runs
and community health centres also joined the movement. Together, on participation so it
they succeeded in igniting voter participation across the country. works!” — Participant

Samara congratulates the over 330 community groups that helped

build the Vote PopUp movement and strengthen our democracy. Organizers included:

 Assembly of Seven Generations, Ottawa,  Okanagan Regional Libraries, Kelowna, BC

ON
 Be The Vote
 Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre,
Scarborough, ON
 Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, Calgary, AB
 Calgary Alternative Support Services,
Calgary, AB
 Canadian Arab Institute
 City for All Women Initiative, Ottawa, ON
 Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House,
Vancouver, BC
 Halifax Public Libraries, Halifax, NS
 Kingston Community Health Centres,
Kingston, ON
 Lambton Circles, Sarnia, ON
 North York Harvest Food Bank, North York,
ON
 Regent Park Community Health Centre,
Toronto, ON
 South Etobicoke Community Legal Services,
Etobicoke, ON
 South Shore Public Libraries, Bridgewater, NS
 Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Students' Association, Calgary, AB
 The Salvation Army, Saint John, NB
 The Table Community Food Centre, Perth, ON
 University of Regina Students' Union, Regina,
MB
 Vancouver Farmers Markets, Vancouver, BC
 We, the Voters, Courtenay, BC
 YMCA of Greater Toronto, Toronto, ON
 Young Voters of PEI, Charlottetown, PEI

Looking Forward

“Political engagement builds political capital, and

political capital means that our concerns and dreams
are more likely to be listened to.”
— Wab Kinew, The Walrus, 2015

During the 42nd federal election, hundreds of community organizations reached out to members of their
community, asked them what matters to them and encouraged them to participate in the election. And
then Canadians voted in record numbers—millions for the very first time.

There is now a choice.

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We can declare victory, pack up all the materials and wait for the next election before mobilizing again.

However, without ongoing engagement—by political parties,

civic organizations or elected officials—these hundreds of
newly engaged community groups and millions of first-time
voters are at risk of disengaging and failing to contribute to
the public conversation. When people are disengaged from
politics, we, as a collective, lose the insights and experiences
of many. And for the individuals, disillusionment increases and
agency is diminished.

Alternatively, we can learn from these experiences, continue

to support local community organizations and amplify the
voice of those community members who participated for the Young voter casts a ballot for the first time.
first time.

For Samara, we will continue to build on Vote PopUp’s success through our research and engagement
activities, such as Democracy Talks and the Everyday Political Citizen project. In this way, we will engage
community groups and individuals in the 1,459 days between federal elections.

“I’m not a citizen so I didn’t

think I could do the practice
poll. I’m happy that I could
see a ballot and try things
out. Maybe one day I can
vote!” — Participant

“I have just become a

“Voting is important to me. It
is one of the few ways I feel
connected to the larger picture
in Canada.” — Participant
citizen and this will be my
first time voting. I’m glad
it’s easy!” — Participant

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Coverage of Vote PopUp

Print and Online:

1. “A vote for the future,” Imagine A City (October 15, 2015).

2. Hnatyshyn, Carl. “Honing the fine art of voting,” Sarnia This Week (October 13, 2015).
3. Ikonen, Maria. “A guide for first-time voters,” New Canadian Media (October 13, 2015).
4. Bengston, Ben. “Many students confused about Fair Elections Act voter ID requirements,” The
Voice (October 8, 2015).
5. Chignall, Selina. “Vote PopUp: Getting the vote out among non-voters,” iPolitics (October 7,
2015).
6. Elliott, Wendy. “Voting troubles abound,” Kings County News (October 6, 2015).
7. Zaretski, Veronica. “Election 2015: who says young people won't vote?” U of T News (October 5,
2015).
8. Isai, Vjosa. “One group’s effort to pop (up) the vote,” National Post (October 3, 2015).
9. Mayer, Andre. “Want to engage non-voters? Don’t bully them, says civic action groups,” CBC
News (October 2, 2015).
10. Morden, Paul. “Program encourages voting, democracy,” Sarnia Observer (October 2, 2015).
11. “Citizen Spark No. 14: Why do you get out and vote?” The Province (October 2, 2015).
12. Evelyn, Charelle. “New ID requirements for voters on Oct. 19,” Prince George Citizen (October 1,
2015).
13. O'Neill, Shane. “Is the Fair Elections Act leaving young Canadians behind?” The Chronicle
(October 1, 2015).
14. Workman, Teresa. “Your vote counts: Public libraries encouraging citizens to get out and vote,”
South Shore Breaker (September 30, 2015).
15. Lui, Samantha. “Courting the ‘Ethnic Vote,’” New Canadian Media (September 24, 2015).
16. “Students at University of Regina encouraged to vote,” CBC News (September 23, 2015).
17. Wood, James. “Mock election used to encourage homeless Calgarians to vote,” Calgary Herald
(September 21, 2015)
18. Kelly, Heather. “Learn How to Vote at Your Local Library,” QCCR 99.3 (September 11, 2015).
19. “Vote PopUp,” Rabble (August, 2015).
20. Devoy, Desmond. “Table holds mock election as part of voter education drive,” Perth Courier
(August 18, 2015).

Television:

1. At 8 p.m. on September 10, 2015, Jane Hilderman, Executive Director of Samara, appeared on a
special election program that aired on CP24 in Toronto and was hosted by Stephen LeDrew. Jane
was joined by Dalia Farra, a Vote PopUp organizer from the Canadian Arab Institute.

Radio:

1. At 5:40 a.m. on July 23, 2015, John Beebe, Outreach Manager at Samara, appeared in
conversation with Jaimie Kehler on CBC Kelowna.

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