While the U.S. grappled with an uncertain presidential outcome in a highly polarized environment, some Canadian twitterati put aside their usual snark in praise of an unlikely institution: Elections Canada.
The non-partisan institution which oversees all elections and byelections at the federal level put out a tweet on November 3 offering information on voting up north.
For Canadians following today's U.S. presidential election, learn more about Elections Canada, the independent, non-partisan agency that administers Canadian federal elections from coast, to coast, to coast: https://t.co/aEqWbvFJ7j #CdnPoli #EC100 pic.twitter.com/j5Am8eQUbh
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) November 3, 2020
By Thursday the tweet had exploded in popularity, with over 700 retweets, more than 460 quote tweets, and more than 2,400 likes.
A follow-up tweet thanking people for the kind words and support similarly exploded in a viral fashion, receiving thousands of likes and retweets.
1/ We want to thank everyone who has sent us kind messages over the last 24 hours. We will continue to work to better serve Canadians. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/MLWBgrj8MN
— Elections Canada (@ElectionsCan_E) November 4, 2020
“We certainly weren’t expecting such an overwhelming show of support for Elections Canada,” said Elections Canada spokesperson Natasha Gauthier in an interview with Victoria Buzz.
“We’ve seen mostly overwhelmingly positive comments from people, comparing our system favourably to that in the U.S, based on the fact that Elections Canada is independent, non-partisan, and administers the election in the same way across the country.”
It was a rare moment of positivity on a platform known for its toxicity, which has reached a peak in recent days with fact-checking warnings placed over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweets.
“The political discourse on Twitter does tend to be toxic,” Gauthier said. “but because we are non-political, the interactions that we see are mostly positive or neutral.”
She says a lot of the praise focussed on how Elections Canada is a nationwide institution, whereas voting rights and accessibility can vary from state to state in the U.S.
Gauthier added that the social media recognition does feel good, but Elections Canada is used to working behind the scenes all throughout the year, ready at any time for an election.
“We don’t necessarily find it stressful to be under the possibility of an election at any time, that’s just part of what we do,” she said.
“That being said, we’re not an organization that ever rests on our laurels. We’re always looking to improve the voter experience.”
Gauthier says the organization is always adjusting its processes based on recent experiences, and on laws passed down from the government.
Most recently Elections Canada ran byelections in the Toronto area with new COVID-19 protocols, an experience which can be used to shape a possible full pandemic election.
In the meantime, Gauthier says Elections Canada is pleased to see people engaging with informative content.
“Thank you to the people who took the time to reach out to us. Your kind words are certainly appreciated, and we always try to do better as well.”
