Season 2: The Canadian Vote Summit
Organized by the Democratic Engagement Exchange and Professor Michael McGregor, the Canadian Vote Summit brought together cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary decision makers to insights and experiences from the 2019 Federal Election.
This series of free on-line workshops, panels and keynotes allowed participants to undertake reflective analysis, knowledge sharing, and foresight activities based on the latest scholastic research and practical experience from the frontlines.
For those who love data, we had the latest breakdown of who participated and what motivated their participation. For those that love tools, we had reports from the frontline of engagement and outreach campaigns, and for those that love stories, we had accounts from local leaders making a difference in their communities.
Together, we strengthened networks across different sectors to identify future research and collaboration. And together, we started creating a blueprint for community-based democratic engagement.
SEASON 2: THe Canadian VOte Summit
List of Episodes
Informing the Future by Reflecting on the Past with the Consortium on Electoral Democracy and Elections Ontario
Non-Partisan Voter Education From The Ground Up with the Halifax Public Library and the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
Voter Engagement Campaign Strategies that Work with Prof. Daniel Rubenson, Haley Rutherford, community organizer, Waterloo, Ontario, and Tammy Shields, The North Grove
Engaging Infrequent & First-Time Voters (Doubleheader) with Future Majority and the Afghan Youth Engagement and Development Initiative (AYEDI)
How to Run an Inclusive Voter Engagement Campaign with the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, and the Canadian Muslim Vote
One year later: Reflections on the One Year anniversary of the Canadian Federal Election with Elections Canada's Chief Electoral Officer and Prof. Andre Blais, author of The Motivation to Vote
Special US Election Edition: Reporting from the Frontlines of the Election with Global News Anchor Farah Nasser & Bloomberg White House Reporter Josh Wingrove
1: INFORMING THE FUTURE BY REFLECTING ON THE PAST
September 15, 2020 — Join Prof. Laura Stephenson, co-director of the Consortium on Electoral Democracy and Greg Essensa, Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Ontario as we launch the Canadian Vote Summit and celebrate the International Day of Democracy . Greg Essensa will reflect on lessons learned as Elections Ontario marks its 100th anniversary and the future of elections in challenging times. Prof. Stephenson will take us on a deep dive into the latest data from the 2019 federal election. They will reflect on past accomplishments and identify the work that still needs to be done—and questions that we all need to be asking as we open this year’s virtual Canadian Vote Summit.
2: NON-PARTISAN VOTER EDUCATION FROM THE GROUND UP
September 22, 2020 — With Peter Loewen, University of Toronto Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy; Carla Foxe, Halifax Public Library; Samya Hassan, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
For many first-time and infrequent voters the biggest barrier to participation is not knowing how to vote but knowing who to vote for. Learning the landscape of Canadian politics—parties, candidates, issues—is challenging, especially when some are still forming their opinions on policy issues. Non-partisan voter outreach and education, and providing authoritative, engaging and meaningful information can be very challenging. In this session we will hear about tools and approaches that help voters and identify areas for more research and work in this age of disinformation.
3: VOTER ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES THAT WORK
September 29, 2020 — With Prof. Daniel Rubenson, Politics and Public Administration, TMU, Haley Rutherford, community organizer, Waterloo, Ontario, and Tammy Shields, The North Grove, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
This session will explore three different approaches to voter engagement campaigns. Prof. Rubenson will discuss an innovative approach to using sports apps to engage with voters, Haley Rutherford will reflect on her efforts to build a diverse coalition of community organizations with a shared interest in voter engagement, and Tammy Shields will share her experience building political power for a community food centre that was ignored by political leaders.
4: ENGAGING INFREQUENT & FIRST-TIME VOTERS (DOUBLEHEADER)
October 6, 2020
Session A: Youth
With Prof. Valerie-Anne Maheo, Université de Laval and Aaron Myran, Future Majority
Session B: Newcomers
With Rebecca Wallace, University of Toronto and Khalidha Nasiri, Afghan Youth Engagement and Development Initiative (AYEDI)
Sometimes, it is your first rodeo. How can we encourage first-time voters to get out there and take the leap? What are the barriers for young people and new Canadians voting in Canada for the first time? What engagement strategies work and which are counter-productive? Where and when is the best time to engage new voters? Join one or both of these sessions as we hear from leading academics sharing the latest research and community leaders with firsthand experience engaging young people on campus and new Canadians in the community.
5: HOW TO RUN AN INCLUSIVE VOTER ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN
October 15, 2020 — With Semra Sevi, Université de Montréal; Kojo Damptey, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion; Doha Soliman, Canadian Muslim Vote
As political polarization and authoritarian regimes threaten core democratic principles in established and emerging democracies around the world, join us for a conversation with PhD candidate Semra Sevi, Kojo Damptey from the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, and Doha Soliman, Canadian Muslim Vote to discuss the challenges and opportunities for building a vibrant and inclusive democracy in a Canadian context.
6: ONE YEAR LATER: REFLECTIONS ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION
October 21, 2020 — With Susan Torosian, Elections Canada's Chief Electoral Officer, and Prof. Andre Blais, author of The Motivation to Vote
At a moment when delivering safe, secure and accessible elections is as challenging as it has ever been and confidence in election administration is being actively undermined around the world, we were joined by Election Canada’s Executive Director, Policy and Public Affairs and Prof. Andre Blais who literally wrote the book on The Motivation to Vote as they reflect on how we build a vibrant and inclusive democracy in these challenging times.
7: "I HAVE SEEN BOTH SIDES NOW" - REPORTING FROM THE FRONTLINES OF THE ELECTION
November 24, 2020 — With Farah Nasser, Global News Anchor and Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg White House Reporter
With experience in political reporting on both sides of the border, two TMU alumni Global News anchor Farah Nasser and Bloomberg White House Reporter Josh Wingrove not only have a unique perspective on the differences between election reporting in Canada and the US, but also a first-hand account of how good (or bad) journalism affects our democracy. Hear Farah and Josh discuss the challenges of journalism and reporting in an age of fake news, unprecedented election turbulence, and political polarization.
This event was organized in partnership with the School of Journalism - Toronto Metropolitan University.
