HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOR-19-019 - 2018 Election Debrief (2)REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING:April 1, 2019
SUBMITTED BY: Christine Tarling, Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk, 519-741-
2200, ext. 7809
PREPARED BY:Christine Tarling, Director of Legislated Services & City Clerk, 519-741-
2200, ext. 7809
WARD (S) INVOLVED:All
DATE OF REPORT:March22, 2019
REPORT NO.:COR-19-019
SUBJECT:2018 Election Debrief
___________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
For Information.
BACKGROUND:
The purpose of this report is toprovide Council with an overview of the Kitchener Municipal and School
Board Election held on October 22, 2018.While the election is a statutory function over which Council
does not exercise decision-making authorityas stipulated by the Municipal Elections Act(MEA), this
report serves as a transparent public assessment of the 2018election. The reportprovides information
on new initiatives undertaken for the2018election as well as possible improvements for 2022and is
grouped by the key themesof:
1.Accessibility;
2.Voters’ List;
3.Voter Notification Cards;
4.Voting Locations;
5.Voting Equipment, Ballots and Process;
6.Election Workers and Training; and,
7.Services for Candidates.
REPORT:
The Election Steering Committee (the Steering Committee) was comprised of a cross-functional team of
City staff who wereresponsible for planning and executing the 2018municipal electionwith the
involvement of multiple divisions acrossthe Corporation.The Steering Committeespent 18 months
preparing for the election. This included reviewing the results from the 2014 election as well as reviewing
andidentifying changes in the MEA as a result the Municipal Elections Modernization Act(MEMA)to
ensure those changes were reflected within the City’s policies, processes and forms accordingly.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
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The Steering Committee re-adopted the 2014 vision statement – to facilitatean open, fair and impartial
process that encouragesparticipation and inspiresconfidence in the municipal election.In support of
that vision, the Steering Committee relied on the following principles to guide decision-making:
Ensurealegally-bindingelection by adhering to all legislated requirements and applying these
requirements in a consistent and impartial manner;
Balancefiscal responsibilitywith service delivery;
Beas fair and equitableas possible for all eligible electorsand candidates;
Facilitateaccessibilityfor voters, candidates and elections workers;
Communicateinformation in an open and transparentmanner;
Encouragebroad participationin the election in a variety of ways;
Provideour election workers with enhanced training and tools;and,
Lookfor and employcontinuous improvementmeasures as appropriate.
Looking for and employing continuous improvement measures was key to supporting the other principles
to which the Steering Committee adhered. In many cases, this involved completely de-constructing
procedures and processesas well as reaching out to various municipal colleaguesregarding their best
practices. This approach exemplifies the Steering Committee’s commitment to delivering service
excellence for the election, andresulted in the implementation of improvements that supported the
principles as described above. A number of these improvements are highlighted in this report.
1.Accessibility
Both the MEA and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act(AODA)govern the election with
respect to promoting accessibility for all voters, candidates and election workers. Staff were committed
to providing an accessible election not onlybecause of the legislative requirements but also because of
their high regard for the principle of being fair and equitable to all. The 2018 City of Kitchener Municipal
Election Accessibility Report (Appendix ‘A’) goes into more detail regarding the actions taken to address
barriers but an overviewof the seven (7) categories from the Accessibility Report is highlighted below:
Consultation – Consultedwith individuals and community groups to betterprovide an accessible
election for persons with a disability and to receive feedback on the Election Accessibility Plan.
Communication – Provided election information in an accessible format and utilized multiple
broadcast mediums to maximize access.
Candidates – Provided candidates with information on how to make their campaigns accessible
and provided election information that is accessible and in alternative formats upon request.
Voting locations – Ensured voting locations met accessibility requirementsand were easy to
navigate.
Voting process – Ensuredthe voting process was accessible to persons with a disability.
Election workers – Focused training for election workers on accessibility to increase familiarity
with accessible options.
Additional initiatives – Worked very closely with St. John’s Kitchen and Ray of Hope to bring
voting to voters who are precariously housed and those who are homeless.
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2.Voters’ List
The lack of an up-to-date, accurateand comprehensive Voters’ List remains a perennial problemfor all
Ontario municipal clerks. Dialogue betweenthe Province and the Municipal Property Assessment
Corporate (MPAC), which supplies the municipal Preliminary List of Electors(PLE), has thus far not been
effective in resolvingthis issuebut the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario
(AMCTO) continues to lobby the Province for change. Requiring Elections Ontario to provide their
information to MPAC or to municipalities directly to populate the municipal Voters’ Listis one possible
solution.Anticipating no substantial improvementsby the Province/MPAC in populating the municipal
Voters’ List since 2014, staff proactively:
Increased messaging on our website, via social media and media releases regarding the need
for eligible voters to check to see if they were on the Voters’ List;
Onthe City’s election website, added the link to MPAC’s voterlookup.ca earlier and made that
link more prominentalong with information to guide voters on how to contact MPAC with any
concerns they might have regarding their information;
Made the Amendment to the Voters’ List form available online to increase convenience for voters;
Created and distributed 5,000 door hangers to approximately 40 multi-residential rental apartment
buildingsto encourage those residents to add themselves to the Voters’ List or amend their
information as appropriate;
Facilitated quick, real-time voter amendments at the voting locations using laptop computers.
3.Voter Notification Cards
Only those on the Voters’List can receive a Voter Notification Card (VNC), and whilethere is no statutory
requirement under the MEAto produce VNCs, staff does so as a service to voters in order to help facilitate
themin knowing where and when to vote, and to expedite voting.It follows, then, that an incomplete and
inaccurate Voters’ List will result in some voters not receiving a VNC but despite the flaws in the PLE
provided to us by MPAC, the City’s accuracy rate in producing the VNCs based on the information we
had in VoterView was 98%. This allowed the City to meet Canada Post’s address accuracy requirements,
which avoided mail handling surcharges, enabled us to obtain the best postage rates possible, and
allowed for quick delivery of the VNCs.In addition to the initiatives involving the Voters’ List specifically,
staff also worked to improve the VNC process as follows:
Selected a VNC vendor withmore election experience and was located closer to the main sorting
facility in Mississauga to reduce the delivery time and thechances for VNCs to go missing;
Moved the delivery time for VNCs to an earlier date;
Closely monitored the Canada Post contract negotiations, which enabled the VNCs to be
delivered in advance of the Canada Post strike;
Made the postcard-size VNCs larger so they would be more noticeable by voters;and
Increased the size of the barcodes to make it quicker for election workers to scan.
4.Voting Locations
The MEA gives the Clerk the statutory authority to establish the number and location of voting locations
as s/he considers most convenient for the electors. Almost always this involves having the voting location
withinthevoting subdivisionit serves but the MEA recognizes this is not always possible soallows voting
locations to be placed outside of the voting subdivision and even outside of municipality where warranted.
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Doing sois not preferred but is necessary as a last resort where there areno suitable voting locations
within the voting subdivision. In establishing voting subdivisions and specific voting locations, staff
considers a number of selection criteriaas indicated below:
Accessibility (as required by the AODA); Adequate free parking;
Availability of the location for dates/times Size and location of the room within the location;
needed;
Ability to secure equipment/supplies at the
Population concentrations/density and optimal location (Advanced Polls);
thresholds for voting locations;
General comfort level for voters and election
Fairness and equity for all voters;workers at the location;
Previous voter turnout;Whether the location was used in 2014 and
2010;
Recognized as the neighbourhood school,
library or community centre;Previous problems with the location (e.g., lack of
heat, poor lighting, etc.); and,
Travel distance/walkability;
Cost.
Proximity to transit and major roads/highways;
Staff in Legislated Services and GeoSpatial Data and Analytics spent overfour (4) months reviewing the
voting subdivisions and locations used in 2014 using a variety of tools in order to meet all legislative
requirements under the MEA and the AODA, and implementingmany of thesuggested improvements
from 2014. Staff from both areasworked closely together to map the voting subdivisions andlocations
trying to obtain the optimal balance of the selectioncriteria above, and to seek strategies for uniquely
challenging subdivisions and locations (e.g., southwest Ward 5, the Hidden Valley area, Alpine Public
Schoollocation, etc.). In some instances, this included looking beyond traditional voting subdivision lines
for voting locations to try toensure voters had access to a voting location nearest to them andno further
away than where it is anticipated voters typically shop, do their banking, or send their children to school.
With respect to institutions, the MEA requires municipalities to have a separate voting locationfor those
residentsand only those residents.The MEAis also prescriptive in what constitutes an “institution”. This
representsanother limitation to having voting locations close to their voting population.
Throughout the process of determining voting subdivisions and locations, staff’s recommendations were
rigorously vetted and approved by the Clerkwitha variety of improvements implemented as indicated
below.
Advanced Poll Voting Locations and Dates
Locatedat community centreswhich are well-known within the community and easy to find using
the election website;
Ensuredthe hours were consistent across all weekdaysand the opening hour wasnot earlier
than on Election Day;
Testeda location at SportsWorld to see if that would facilitate voters who live in that area or
regularly travel to/work in that area;and,
Establishedvoting locations at St. John’s Kitchen and Ray of Hope to facilitate voters who
frequent those locations and/or do not have a permanent home, and advertisedthese voting
locations inshelters and at other social agencies.
Election Day Voting Locations
Reviewed the 2014 voting subdivision boundariesand all 2014 feedback regarding specific voting
locations to ensure suitability of locations in conjunction withselection criteria;
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Usedlocations well-known inthe community such as public and separate schools, community
centres, and libraries;
Highlighted voting location changes from 2014 on the election website and informed voters who
called in;
Reviewedvoting locations used in the provincial and federal elections to see if those locations
couldbe used by the City;
Re-inspected all 2014 voting locations and worked with facility staff, principals and school board
administrators to resolve location-specific issues identified by voters and election workers in 2014;
Ensured election workers were clear about the accessible entrances to voting locations and
trained them to place signage strategically to assistvoters;
Increased signage outside and insidevoting locations;
Investigated the possibility of using local malls as voting locations – unsuccessful;
Increased Election Assistants atthose voting locations where identified as needed in 2014;
Double-checkedtransit routes for voting locations to ensure convenience of accessand addeda
link on the City’s election website to Grand River Transit to better assist voters who neededto
take public transit to vote;
Lobbied both the Waterloo Region District School Board and the Waterloo Catholic District School
Board to declare Election Day as a PD/PA day – unsuccessful;and,
Increased the number of Legislated Services staff on the telephones from 5-9pm on Election Day
to better assist with voter inquiries.
Institutions
Workedwith GIS and the institutionsin advance of establishing voting locations to confirm all the
facilities/addresses that form part of their complexincluding life lease units; and,
Communicatedwith institutions in advance of the election to ensure they knew the hours when
the pollswouldbe open in their institution and workedwith them to communicate this information
to their residents.
5.Voting Equipment, Ballotsand Process
Muchconsideration goes into making the voter’s experience at the voting locations a good one. It is
important to ensure that everyone who is entitled to vote hasthe opportunity to do so. Equipment, ballots
and the voting process were reviewed and enhanced to expedite voting and to better facilitate voters.
Staff closely scrutinized feedback from 2014 to address issues that hindered or discouraged voters from
voting.Improvements in 2018 included:
Updatingthe analysis of internet voting – determined circumstances had not changed sufficiently
to warrant potential adoption in 2018;
Procuringan upgraded model of tabulator that is proven reliable, easy to use and able to withstand
scrutiny in the event of a challenge including accessible tabulators with Audio Tactile Interface
(ATI), headphones and accessible ballot marking devices at all the Advanced Polls;
Arrangingfor two on-site technical support representatives from Dominion on Election Day to
assist with technical issuesthat election workers were unable to resolve themselves;
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Utilizinglaptops at all voting locations at Advanced Polls and on Election Day for full electronic
voter strike-off with barcode scanning technology to expedite voting and adding voters/changing
voter information;
Designingballots that were correct, easy to understand, and easy to be markedby voters;
Providingextra training to election workers on how to communicate voting instructionsbetter;
Extendingthe acceptance of proxy votes for all Advanced Poll dates;
Providing information about the proxy process in plain language on the election website and to
voters who came in personor called;
Making the proxy form available on-line; and,
CreatingExpress and General Lines at the voting locations to expedite voterswith VNCs and
dedicatedresources to voters who need to be added to the Voters’ List or change their
information.
6.Election Workers & Training
The City, like other municipalities and levels of government, relies on citizens to work theelection. Their
participation is critical to dispersingvoting locations across thecityand facilitatingvoters. The City also
gives opportunities to staff to be involved at voting locations andin other capacities. Feedback from
citizens and stafffrom 2018 indicates it is an enjoyable, interesting and valuable experienceso it is
desirable to continue to try to provide election employment opportunities for citizens and staff.
Theincrease in the use of technology, the visibility of elections, and other sociological factors, has made
it more challenging to find qualified election workers. Hiring over 450 election workers precludes
interviewing each person and makes it difficult to matchperfectlyeach person with the right position.
Ensuring election workers receive the proper training and tools is paramount to their success in fulfilling
their functions ably and confidently.To improve in 2018, we:
Created a Tabulator Assistant position ateach voting location to operate the tabulator equipment
which allowedthe Managing Deputy Returning Officers (MDROs) to better focus on the overall
management of the voting locations and to address problems;
Evaluated each election worker position and developed better position descriptions and
qualifications for each to aid in recruitment;
Began the recruitment process earlier in the election planning process;
Created an Election 101 e-training module for election workers so that in-person training could
focus more on position-specific functions and responsibilities;
Improved the in-person training and allowed for more hands-on training;
Increased accessibility training including how to facilitate voters without a permanent residence
and/or identification;
Updated the procedure manuals for each positionand improved the tools to make it easier to find
information in order to facilitate voters more quickly;
Re-evaluated and adjusted thestaffing needs at each voting location as per feedback from 2014
and projected increases in voters;
Increased theelection worker pay to keep on par with neighbouring municipalitiesand current
legislation; and,
Used an online Ticket Management System for MDROs to manage and prioritize voting location
issues on Election Day.
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7.Services for Candidates
As part of the City’s Strategic Plan for the Environment, the SteeringCommittee wascommittedto playing
their part by going more “green” in how information was provided to candidatesin addition to providing
more information to candidates.Specific improvements included:
Creating election webpages for candidates which provided links to various electronic resources
such as candidate guides, interactive maps, legislation, etc.;
Linking to candidate websites from the City’s election website as now permitted by the MEA;
Makingthe Voters’ List available in a downloadable format via ShareFile;
Implementing an email address for candidates to contact staff to answer questions or resolve
issues;
Employing a staff resource as a first point-of-contact for candidates; and,
Making resources available in hardcopy format for those candidates who did not wish to use
electronic resources.
Possible Improvements for 2022
The Steering Committee met its objective to deliver a legally-binding(non-controverted), accessible and
democratic election but continuous improvement is a hallmark of this team. Looking ahead to 2022, the
Steering Committee has once again solicited, received and compiled feedback from various stakeholders
in order to obtain a wide perspective on the election concerning what went well and what potentially could
be improved upon for the next election. While it is impossible to know exactly what the landscape will
look like in 2022, staff have amassed improvements they will evaluate and possibly implement, budget
permitting.
1.Accessibility
Provide flash cards for election workers to use at all voting locations for voters who are deaf,
deafened, or hard of hearing.
Continue to advocate with our vendor to enlarge the check boxes on the ballot for2022 to better
facilitate voters.
Meet with the Mayors Advisory Council for Kitchener Seniors (MACKS)regarding accessibility
concerns for seniors.
2. Voters’ ListandVoter Notification Cards(VNCs)
Make it even cleareron the election website that voters do not need aVNC to vote, just the
required identificationas prescribed by the Province.
Investigate other meansto communicate with voters earlierregarding the Voters’ List, VNCs, etc..
Ensure voters can find information more easily on the City’s election website on how to contact
MPAC with any concerns they might have regarding their informationor lack thereof on the Voters’
List.
Ensure all voters at an address are listed in the window of the VNC envelope and the envelope
indicates there are multiple VNCs contained inside.
Add accessibility information to VNCs.
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3.Voting Locations
Continue advocacy efforts with the school boards to declare Election Day as a PA/PD day to help
address location concerns (e.g., Student safety, parking issues).
Assess voting location criteria to ensure relevancy.
Consider super polls and increase communication to votersif this results in fewer locations.
Ensure the locations are safe and accommodating after darkfor both voters and election workers.
Review how to improve access to those schools where entrances are locked all day (e.g.,
Increase the number of Election Assistants, improve signage directing voters as to what to do).
4.Voting Equipment, Supplies and Process
Investigate various voting options for voters with mobility challenges and/or are unable to leave
their home and do nothave anyone to appoint as a proxy but donot reside in an “institution”.
Have accessible tabulators at more than the advanced polls only.
Enable use of City WiFi to access VoterView, especially where LTE signal is weak or connectivity
is unreliableand consider a hybrid solution where city polling locations use a wired connection
and non-city polling locations use LTE modems.
Enhance testing of barcode scanners.
Re-evaluate the apportioning of French Public, French Separate and NST ballotsto decrease
delays at voting locations.
5.Election Workers
Increase amount of time for training for election workers to ensure sufficient time for hands-on
training and pay for training (would require an increase in the budget).
Give VoterView login information to MDROs to hold in case DROs forget it to reduce logindelays
at the start of Advanced Polls and Election Day.
Analyze the data from the Ticket Management System to identify the most common requests from
MDROs and put strategies in place to proactively address.
6.Servicesto Candidates
Update the Corporate Resources Policy to address issues that arose during this election (e.g.,
Neighbourhood Associations holding all candidate debates, clearer indication of what constitutes
City facilities) to provide greater clarity to candidates as to what is and what is not permitted.
Improve communication with candidates regarding the form of names on the ballot.
7.Additional Improvements
Have two(2) telephone extensions – one(1)for the public and one (1) for staff andelection
workers.
Advertise the Electionsign@kitchener.ca reporting method moretoexpedite complaints and
inquiries regarding election campaign signage.
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Post election-related videos sooner in the campaign as they were popular, andlaunch an
educational campaign in advance of the election.
Review a means to obtain more voter input into the planning of the 2022 election.
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommendation of this report supports the achievement of the city’s strategic vision through the
delivery of core service.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Total Budget for the 2018 Election$558,000.00
$559,444.35
Total Cost of the 2018 Election
Deficit-$1444.35
This translates as follows:
$6,660per location on average;
$7,664per candidate on average;
$13.33per elector who voted; and,
$3.67per eligible elector.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM – This report has been posted to the City’s website with the agenda in advance of the council
/ committee meeting. In addition, acommunication strategy was developed and executed for the 2018
Municipal Election ensuring information about the election was actively promoted onthe City’s Election
website as well as through thesocial media and thelocal media.
CONSULT – The following groups were consulted with respect to possible improvements for 2022:
Stakeholder GroupMethods Used
VotersOngoing before, during and after the election via
telephone, email, in person, social media, and
election workers at the voting locations.
CandidatesOngoing before, during and after the election via
email, telephone, in person and via survey.
Managing Deputy Returning Officers (MDROs)One surveyemailed to 66 MDROs in addition to
feedback obtained from individual election workers.
The Election Steering CommitteeTwo (2) debriefing sessions.
Major vendors (Dominion Voting and DataFix)Debriefmeetings.
Waterloo Catholic Region District School BoardMetwith representativesin advance of the election.
Waterloo Region District School BoardMet with representativesin advance of the election.
Waterloo Region Area ClerksDebrief meeting.
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COLLABORATE – Legislated Services staff presented its accessibility plan to the Grand River
Accessibility Action Committee for feedback. Members of GRAAC were pleased with the breadth of the
plan and their suggestions for improvement were incorporated into the plan. As well, members of the
Steering Committee continually collaborated with their colleagues across the Region of Waterloo on joint
messaging concerning the election via the website, WRVotes, and with petitioning the school boards to
have Election Day declared a PD/PA day. In addition, Legislated Services worked with administration
staff from each of the school boards and with school principals directly to overcome issues experienced
in 2014. Finally, staff worked very closely with thestaff from St. John’s Kitchenand Ray of Hope to bring
voting to those locationsfor voters who have precarious housing or are homeless.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY:Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services Department
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APPENDIX ‘A’
2018 City of Kitchener
Municipal Election
Accessibility Report
FOR INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT:
Christine Tarling, City Clerk 519-741-2200 x7809
Jeff Bunn, Deputy City Clerk 519-741-2200 x7278
Email AccessibleElection@kitchener.ca
Website: www.Kitchener.ca/elections
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1. Consultation Barriers:
Consult with individuals and groups in the community to gain an increased understanding into
providing an accessible election for persons with a disability and to receive feedback on this Plan.
Consultation InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Review comments from electors, candidates, Comments from electors, candidates, and election
and election workers regarding 2014 election. workers were reviewed and taken into consideration
when making election-related decisions for the 2018
election.
Consult with Grand River Accessibility City staff presented the Accessibility report to
Advisory Committee (GRAAC) early in the GRAAC on Thursday October 26, 2017 where
process to obtain Committee feedback on valuable feedback was provided. Adjustments to the
potential barriers and methods to overcome Plan were made based on this feedback to overcome
these barriers.potential accessibility barriers.
Collaborate with disability groups and networks Ray of Hope, St. John’s Kitchen, the Multi-Cultural
to help disseminate election information Centre and many of the institutions used as voting
through the City's website, social media, etc. locations allowed us to place posters there prior to
Election Day which advertised election information.
Additionally, election information was disseminated
via the City’s website and social media in order to
reach a wider audience.
Conduct apost-election survey to receive A post-election survey has been distributed to
additional feedback including follow up with candidates and the Manager Deputy Returning
disability groupsOfficers to gather feedback. Additionally, any
feedback from electors at voting locations,
especially regarding accessibility concerns, have
been collected for review and consideration for the
2022 municipal election.
Attend any meetings or events that promote City staff attended GRAAC to bring attention to
accessibility to bring attention to accessibility-possible accessibility-related election barriers and to
related barriers for elections.also receive feedback regarding the City’s proposed
accessible election initiatives.
Consider having a preview day for accessible The delivery date of the voting equipment did not
voting equipment to increase comfort level for allow sufficient time to prepare for a preview day to
voters with disability.view the accessible voting equipment.
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2. CommunicationBarriers:
Provide election information in an accessible format and utilize multiple broadcast mediums to
maximize access.
Communications InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Focus on presenting election information in aAll election information was written using plain
clear and easy to understandmanner. language and election jargon was eliminated where
possible. Where needed, jargon was
explained/defined. Additionally, all election
information on the election website was written to
comply with AODA standards.
Dedicate asection of the City of Kitchener Sections of the City’s election website were
election website to accessibility.dedicated to accessibility. These pages included:
“How to Vote” and “What’s New”.
Publish updates continuously on the City's The City’s election website was continuously
election website throughout the 2018 election. updated during the 2018 election to ensure new
information and data was released in a timely
manner.
Ensureelection web pages are W3C All election pages are W3C Consortium WCAG 2.0
Consortium WCAG 2.0 Level AA Compliant.Level AA Compliant.
Create a dedicated e-mail address regarding The email AccessibileElection@kitchener.cawas
accessibility created and published on the City’s website as a
method of corresponding with candidates, electors
and the media. Staff monitored the email account
closely to respond to inquiries or comments
promptly.
Provideequipment to facilitate communication The City’s TTY phone line was available to
for elections staff and members of the public communicate with any deaf, deafened and hard of
who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.hearing candidates, electors and potential election
workers.
An ASL interpreter was provided to facilitate
training an election worker who has a hearing
disability. He was also provided with flash cards
(made by staff) for easy/clear communication with
electors at the voting location. Staff have discussed
supplying all locations with the flash cards for
electors who have a hearing disability at all locations
in the 2022 election.
Additionally, 5 Advanced Poll locations were
provided with accessible vote tabulators to facilitate
voting for those who had a hearing/vision/mobility
impairment.
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3. Candidate CampaignBarriers:
Provide candidates with election information on how to make their campaigns accessible and election
information that is accessible and available in alternative formats uponrequest.
Assistance to Candidates InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Provide candidateswith AMCTO guide for All candidates were provided with the AMCTO
running an accessible campaign. guide via the City of Kitchener's website.
Provide candidateswith list of locations and A list of locations was published on the City’s
services to connect with electors without a website. Outreach to agencies serving people
permanent residence.without a permanent residence was done which
included a poster campaign.
Provide information regarding accessibility to The AMCTO guide for running an accessible
candidates in an information package and alsocampaign was posted on the City’s website which
post on the City website. included various topics concerning accessibility.
Hold candidate information sessions atThere were no candidate information sessions held.
accessible location(s).Candidates who had questions were welcomed to
come to City Hall, 2nd floor, Legislated Services (an
accessible location) to have them answered.
Candidates were also welcomed to contact City staff
via any other communication method (phone, email,
mail etc.)
Make information available inalternative All election-related information was posted to the
formats upon request. City's website where electors, candidates etc. could
download the appropriate document or view the
information online. Those that did not have access to
the electronic versions were provided with hard
copies when requested. City Staff also prepared
documents in both English and French which were
available upon request.
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4. Voting LocationBarriers:
Ensure voting locations are accessible and easy to navigate.
Voting Locations InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Perform a site visit to inspect all potential All election voting locations were assessed on their
voting locations for accessibility.accessibility and those that were accessible and met
other criteria wereselected as 2018 voting locations.
Ensure voting locations have adequate signage All voting locations were supplied with numerous
for easy navigation. signs to be placed on both inside and outside of the
location. Election workers were instructed during
training that it was their responsibility to place the
signs in areas with high visibility to ensure ease in
accessing the voting location. Change of copy signs
at locations were used where available. Locations
that were challenging to navigate internally were
assigned additional election workers to assist voters.
Ensure there is an accessible entrance to the All voting locations were inspected to ensure the
voting location. entrances were compliant withour accessibility
standards. Those that developed an issue after the
inspections were rectified. For example, Alpine
Public School had to change their main entrance
from theaccessible entrance to a side door – to
compensate City staff built and delivereda ramp on
Election Day so that electors with accessibility
needs would be able to enter the location with ease.
Enhance walkability from parking lotsto voting City staff increased the number of city facilities used
locations to reduce any arduous distances. as voting locations from 2014 to help increase
walkability. Additionally, City staff worked with
schools to maximize the number of available
parking spots (e.g., covering “Staff Only” parking
signs in school lots) for use by voters. Additionally,
whenpossible, the most accessible entrance was
used at each voting location
Establish voting locations at St. John’s St. John’s Kitchen and Ray of Hope were used as
Community Kitchen and Ray of Hope that are Advanced Poll locations on Thursday October 11th
accessible to electors without a permanent for electors who were without a permanent
residence.residence.
Establish voting locationsat retirement homes Voting locations were implementedat 16 institutions
and institutions to assist electors.(including Long-Term Care facilities) across the
City.
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5. Voting Process Barriers:
Ensure the voting process is accessible to persons with a disability.
Voting Process InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Ensure accessible voting equipment is available5 Advanced Polllocations were supplied with
at polling locations.accessible voting equipment for electors who had
hearing/vision or mobility impairments.
Train election workerto assist voters when All election workers were provided training on
requested. This includes accommodating AODA standards and assisting voters with
bedside voters. disabilities. They were also trained on how to assist
voters with voting including accommodating
bedside voters.
Produce aclear guide to using accessible voting Each Manager Deputy Returning Officer (MDRO)
equipment. and Tabulator Assistant (TA) was provided clear,
hands-on instructions on how to use the accessible
voting equipment in order to be able to guide/assist
electors at the Advanced Poll locations.
Design ballots with ballot vendor and City staff met withDominion Voting, the ballot
accessibility groups to make them easier to vendor, to discuss increasing the size of the target
mark voting selections. box. Unfortunately, the vendor was unable to
increasethe size as it would interfere with coding
but City staff has emphasized the need to do
something for the 2022 election.
Additionally, City staff ensured the correct
pronunciation for each candidate’s names for the
audio ballots.
Provide Affidavitsof Residence and Oaths of These forms were supplied to all voting locations
Identification to facilitate voters with no including St. John's Kitchen and Ray of Hope to
permanent residence and/or identification. enable such voters to receive a ballot and vote.
Provide text magnifiers to assist electors who All voting locationswere supplied with magnifiers
have limited vision. at Advanced Polls and on Election Day.
Supply notepads to facilitatecommunication All voting location were supplied with notepads at
withelectors who are hard of hearing or Advanced Polls and on Election Day.
deafened.
Have chairs or stools available for electors who All voting location were supplied with chairs/stools
cannot stand for a prolonged period. at Advanced Polls and on Election Day.
Create a process to notify electors in the case of Emergency procedures were created and
an emergency or disruption to services. Communications staff were prepared to
publish/distribute a notification in the case of an
emergency.
Assess the state of alternative voting options for Alternative voting options will be assessed for the
next election. 2022 election after reviewing feedback from City
staff, electors, election workers and candidates
including the feasibility of offering more accessible
voting locations on Election Day.
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6. Training for Election Workers to Overcome Barriers:
Training for election workers will include a focus on accessibility to increase familiarity with
accessible options.
Voting Process InitiativesPost-election Action Analysis
Train all election workerson accessible election All Advanced Poll Manager Deputy Returning
equipment and assisting electors with a Officers(MDRO) were trained on how to set up and
disability.use the accessibility voting equipment as well as
how to appropriately assist electors during the
process. All election workers were trained on how
to respectfully assist voters with disabilities.
Train election workers on not restrictingservice All election workers received training material
persons or animals who are assisting a person regarding the appropriate actions to take when in the
with a disability.presence of a service person/animal who are
assisting a person with a disability. The training
material included situational accessibility dos and
don’ts.
Hire additional election workerso assist at Certain voting locations in larger subdivisions were
certain voting locations to enhance provided with additional election worker to enhance
accessibility.accessibility. Locations that had additional election
workers included Alpine Public School and the
Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex.
Provide election workers withaccommodation An election worker with a hearing disability was
upon request to ensure training is accessible to provided with an ASL interpreter for the Election
all election workers.Worker training. City staff also prepared flash cards
to use at the voting location for easy communication
between the electionworker andvoters.
Hire election workers forSt. John’s Community City staff reached out to St. John’s Kitchen and Ray
Kitchen and Ray of Hope who understand the of Hope and were able to hire election workers who
needs of the voters at these locations. were volunteers at those organizations and
understand the needs of that community. Staff also
worked with these organizations to ensure a balance
between meeting the legislative requirements of the
Municipal Elections Act and reducing barriers for
their community.
Include information on processing forms in the The Manager Deputy Returning Officer and Deputy
election worker training guide. Returning Officers received training material with
instructions on processing forms to enable voters
without a permanent residence or identification to
vote.
Review Accessibility Course to familiarize Highlights and key points from Accessibility for
election workers with providing an accessible Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) literature as
election to all voters.wellas other accessibility organizations were
included in election worker training.
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7.Additional Initiatives:
Additional initiatives not included in the initial Accessibility plan that were carried out.
SubjectInitiative
TrainingAn election worker with a hearing disability was
hired and provided with an ASL interpreter in order
to complete the mandatory Election Worker training.
City staff also prepared flash cards to use at the
voting location for easy communication between the
election worker and the voter. Correspondence with
this worker took place via video relay service. City
staff facilitated this election worker’s return to City
Hall as per the requirements of the election position.
Voting locationsCity staff allowedvoters to park on the street near
voting locations without receiving a ticket if parking
at the location was limited providing fire routes were
not blocked and accessible parking spots were not
used by those who did not have a disability.
Voting ProcessAn elector with a mobility disability mistakenly
came to Kitchener City Hall on Election Day
thinking it was open for voting as it was for
Advanced Polls. The elector did not have enough
time to take the bus to their correct location before
the close of polls and so a City staff member drove
the elector to their correct location, providing the
elector with the ability to successfully cast their
vote.
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APPENDIX ‘B’
City of Kitchener
2018 Election Stats & Facts
Voting Locations:
Type of Voting Date Hours Location
Advanced Voting (Vote Wed. October 10 to Fri. 2pm to 8pm 4 City facilities and City Hall
anywhere) October 12, 2018
Advanced Voting Thurs. October 11, 2018 10am to 2pmSt. John’s Kitchen
4pm to 8pm Ray of Hope
Advanced Voting (Vote Sat. October 13, 2018 10am to 2pm4 City facilities and City Hall
anywhere)
Election DayMon. Oct. 22, 201810am to 8pm77 voting locations including 16
institutions
Poll Turnout Location Number of voters/%
Highest Advance Poll Stanley Park Community Centre 1,083voters
Lowest Advance PollSportsworld Arena 275 voters
Highest Election Day Poll 8-30 St. Paul Catholic School 36.89%
Lowest Election Day Poll3-30 Activa Sportsplex14.49%
Candidates:
73candidatesand 1 third party advertiser
Voters:
Over 152,000 eligible electors in Kitchener on the Voters’ Listas of the end of Election Day;
o 4,442 electors added to the Voters’ List
o 6,441 electors updated their information in VoterView for the Voters’ List
Over 41,000 eligible electors facilitated in voting
o 28% voter turnout – 2%lower than in 2014buton parwith the 50-year average;
Turnout by Age:
Age % of Turnout
18-21 1.76%
22-29 5.74%
30-39 13.54%
40-49 15.49%
50-59 19.52%
60-69 21.43%
70-79 15.42%
80-89 5.78%
Over 90 0.64%
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Election Workers
Approximately 500 election workers trained over approximately 50 hours
Marketing
Digital marketing played a large role in promoting and creating awareness about the 2018
election. The marketing campaign used various media channels from May 1 to October 23, 2018
and included working in collaboration with other local municipalities as well as WRVotes:
Social Media AnalyticsWhat Does it Mean?
Total clicks20,911How many people clicked on our content and were
redirected to additional information on our website
Facebook video views 3,130How many times users viewed the videos we shared
Facebook reactions 40028 “love”; 314 “like” + 301 for Twitter; 3 “Angry” –
Signifies the overall media campaign was well-received by
the public
Kitchener.ca/election What Does it Mean?
Page views 42,464How many people viewed the election page on the City’s
website
Visitors for first time 12,373How many people had not visited this website previously
Most popular page Am I on the Signifies the success of our outreach campaign to
within the Election Voters’ List encourage voters to check if they are on the Voters’ List
section
nd
2 most popular page Where to Signifies the success of our outreach campaign to
within the Election Vote encourage voters to find out where to vote
section
Avg time spent on a 3 minutes How long, on average, a user spent viewing the content on
webpage and 21 any given webpage
seconds
Live Results page10,838How many people viewed this page
Avg time spent on the 6 minutes How long, on average, a user spent viewing this content
Live Results page and 15
seconds
Digital marketing proved to be an effective tool forboth awareness and engagement, as
evidenced by click-through rates, with 20,000+ clicks driving visitors to content on the city’s
website.
In 2018, election-related content took up two spots in terms of the city’s top-10 most visited pages.
The Information on Candidates page was the 4th most-viewed page with 61,570 page views; the
th
Election Landing Pagewas the 9most viewed page on Kitchener.ca with 42,464 page views.
Comparatively, the number one-viewed page year over year Career & Employment Opportunities
garners ~190,000 page views annually.
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