Reflections on Elections from a Candidate, Voter, Poll Worker, and Campaign Volunteer (Blog)

Blog
Written By Sydney BC

Introduction

I have always considered myself to be an engaged political advocate. I remember that I was 11 years old when I first wanted to vote, so I have paid close attention to politics ever since then and up until now. Since I turned 18, I have been able to vote in 9 elections. I also ran for City Council, worked as a Poll Worker, and volunteered with two political campaigns. Here are my reflections about our elections.

My Political Background

I want to start, first and foremost, by briefly explaining my political background. As mentioned in the introduction, I have voted in all 9 elections for which I was eligible for, which included 3 provincial, 3 federal, and 3 municipal elections (one of which was a by-election). I also volunteered with two different political campaigns during the 2022 and 2025 provincial elections with the Ontario NDP, where I knocked on doors, served as a scrutineer to witness the vote, and “pulled” the vote on election day. Most recently, I worked as a Registration Officer with Elections Canada for the 2025 federal election, where my role included checking people’s ID, ensuring they were appropriately registered to vote, and directing them to where they would receive their ballot. I also was involved in the count and recording of the vote. 

My most in depth political experience was in 2022, when I ran for City Council in my hometown of Windsor, Ward 7. I was the only openly trans and non-binary candidate; I also was the youngest candidate (age 22). My 22-page platform addressed key issues such as affordability, active transportation, climate change, diversity & equity initiatives, voter engagement, mental health, social services, housing, and more.

In my ward, there were four other candidates; Angelo Marignani (elected), Greg Lemay, Jeewen Gill (City Councillor 2020-2022), and Sophia Sevo. I had the challenge of running against three men, one of whom was the incumbent (person who held the seat prior to the election). Each candidate was also older than me, which some voters took as a sign of “more experience”. Sophia Sevo was additionally a candidate endorsed by anti-woke groups due to her platform which included transphobic policies, meaning I was the only openly trans candidate in the same riding as a transphobic one. I came in fourth place after having received 3.33% of the vote. Unfortunately, the voter turnout in that election was only 31%. 

My diverse experiences in politics – as a voter, candidate, campaign volunteer, and poll worker – have taught me a lot about Canada’s elections. This, combined with my extensive experience engaging in political advocacy and my minor in Political Science, has inspired me to write this blog where I discuss some of the challenges and benefits offered by our electoral system. 

Voter Apathy and Distrust

I have spent a lot of time knocking on doors, both as a volunteer with two different political campaigns, and while running my own campaign. A consistent message at many doors is a feeling of apathy, in which people do not care about politics or feel as though their vote doesn’t matter. This is a consequence of the First-Past-The-Post system (winner takes it all), in which people believe that their voice/vote ends up not mattering, particularly if their riding has traditionally gone a certain way or is biased towards a particular party (e.g. has elected Conservatives for 20 years). This increases the risk of people not voting because they think that their vote doesn’t matter, when in reality votes can actually critically change elections. 

For instance, look at the most recent federal election. The image on the right shows four key ridings where there was a close difference between the two front-leading parties, ranging from just 12 votes to 571 votes. A few dozen changed or added votes could have offered an entirely different result.

I suspect that another issue relating to voter apathy comes from a lack of hope. Many people, unless you are extremely privileged, are experiencing some type of challenge. This could be long waitlists for healthcare, lack of affordable housing, difficulties finding permanent employment with benefits, rising costs of living, and so much more. When we are stuck in survival mode, trodden on by the systems that are supposed to support us, it is difficult to imagine an alternative, especially when we don’t have a frame of reference for what that could look like. Progressive parties who proposed increases to and invention of new programs and services – this seems like a lofty and unattainable goal for people who are figuring out how to pay rent.

This gets into a third critical issue around voter apathy, which is distrust. Every election season, parties and leaders make big, lofty promises. They roll out platforms with commitments and say “I’ll do X, Y, and Z.” These look good on paper, and might get our hopes up that things can actually change for the better. But far too often, these promises do not come to fruition. Of course, that’s not always the case – several parties, leaders, and politicians have been commended for actually following through on some (usually not all) of their campaign promises. However, this consistent example of parties/politicians not following through with their promises can breed an overall feeling of distrust, both in politicians and in the overall electoral process. 

This is even further enhanced when politicians are very vocal and committed during election season, but then vanish as soon as they are (re)elected. I have spoken with many friends in ridings and districts across Canada who express frustration when they reach out to their representatives with questions, looking for support, only to receive no response. When representatives fail to continually engage with voters and constituents, it only further breeds distrust and a feeling of “why should I care who is going to represent me if they aren’t going to do anything?” And unfortunately, when that lack of representation is the only framework, it is hard to imagine an alternative – of an engaged, responsive, and accountable representative. 

Youth Engagement

Unfortunately, research indicates that young people (ages 18-24) are less likely to vote than any other age demographic. Something significant to note here is that if a person votes in the first election after they turn 18, they will probably be a lifelong voter. On the other hand, those who do not vote in that first election are unlikely to pick up the habit later in life. There are a multitude of reasons as to why youth don’t vote.

Youth face additional barriers in that they are less likely to receive a voter information card and are unaware of the process of registering as a first-time voter. Moreover, if they have recently moved away from home (for university, college, or work), they may not have legally changed their address and there can be confusion or lack of communication around how they can vote in a district that doesn’t match their identification. Additionally, when someone is ages 18-20, they are adjusting to being an “adult” for the first time; going to school/college, working, living away from parents/guardians, dealing with taxes and rent, and all the other things that come with “adulting”. Adding voting on top of that, especially when the process is unfamiliar, is an additional burden that many youth do not necessarily feel equipped to navigate. 

Another challenge is that elementary and high schools do not always provide them with the necessary tools to understand the political process and voting. While some teachers engage in Student Vote (a wonderful resource!), this is unfortunately not commonplace. Additionally, not every province requires a course relating to voting/elections (as is the case with “Civics” in Ontario). Even if schools do offer such a course, the teacher may not have any training or education specific to elections and thus may not be able to offer a comprehensive course. 

Finally, youth often feel underrepresented in Canadian politics. If you look at platforms by any party or municipal candidate, they will rarely address issues specific to youth, and even fewer candidates make intentional efforts to reach out to youth (e.g. youth-serving organizations, classes, schools/colleges/universities). I have actually heard stories in which a candidate will ask a young person if they are an eligible voter, and if the youth responds “no” the candidate will stop talking to them and move on, showing a complete disregard for their opinions. Similarly, a lot of political language and platform items may seem “too advanced” for some youth. In the class I served as a teaching assistant for this past year, we had extensive conversations about politics. One student mentioned that she “always felt excluded from political conversations because they are so focused on the economy, and [she] doesn’t really get or care about that.” This lack of attention to youth-specific issues and concerns shows a serious disregard for and inattention towards our youngest voting (and future voting) demographic, and is deeply concerning. 

Lack of Representation for Equity-Deserving Communities

When people don’t see candidates who look like them, this contributes to a lack of trust and feeling of disenfranchisement, in which they do not want to vote as they feel that their needs will not be heard. Unfortunately, representation for equity-deserving communities remains minimal, as evidenced by the 2021 summary of Canadian Members of Parliament:

When I ran for City Council, I was very intentional about how I designed my campaign. By including my pronouns and the rainbow on my literature, I was very clear that I was part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I also proudly shared the fact that I was 22 years old (at the time of running), and was very openly queer and trans. As a result, I definitely received backlash and hate, with people accusing me of pushing the “gay agenda”. But more importantly, I received many emails, social media messages, and texts from people who finally felt as though there was someone who was representing their concerns. This was particularly true of people under the age of 30, of women, and of queer and trans individuals. It was because of these messages, and the fact that I have yet to really see someone “like me” (young and proudly queer/trans) in politics, that I chose to be intentionally visible despite the risk it put me in. 

As a voter who is part of equity-deserving communities, I can understand the deep frustration in looking at a candidate slate and seeing almost all cis, het, able-bodied white men, who have also often had significant financial (and other) privilege. Representation isn’t just about identities though; it’s also about lived experience. Voters talked to me openly about the challenges they experienced in navigating the transit system because they knew that I, as a fellow transit user, “got it” in a way that fellow candidates who drive everywhere just simply don’t understand. I’ve navigated social service systems, both for myself and for friends, that people who’ve always held privilege would only view from an “outsider” lens.

During the most recent provincial election, I spoke with three of the four candidates who were running in my district (the Conservative candidate declined to show up to the candidate event). I shared about the fear experienced by many transgender people (including myself) as a result of anti-trans policies we are seeing in the US, and even here in Canada. For instance, I had decided not to change my legal sex designation until after I saw how this most recent federal election had gone, out of fear of my safety in case an anti-trans government were to come into power. I have friends who have escalated plans for marriage, children, and gender-affirming care out of fear of losing rights or funding for these. The three candidates I shared these with seemed mostly surprised, even though two were/are fierce allies. This is not a criticism of them, but merely because my experience was different from their own as cis people. This is why representation – in all its forms and at all levels of government – is so vital, because it helps ensure that we are actually passing legislation that meets the needs of the most vulnerable.

Political Ignorance & Party Bias

I’m going to switch gears a bit here, as I’ve talked a lot about representation (and lack thereof) and overall voter apathy. Another significant issue I have noticed within our elections is an overall ignorance of how our political system works, particularly in relation to the responsibilities of elected officials, and what is under the jurisdiction of each level (municipal, provincial, federal) of government. Here are videos on Elected Representatives and Levels of Government in case you are unfamiliar or would like a refresher. 

When I was campaigning in both provincial elections, I would knock on doors and chat with people. I had several who told me that they were voting Conservative because they “didn’t like Justin Trudeau” (yes, even after he resigned as leader). Even more would say that they didn’t approve of Singh’s deal with Trudeau so they couldn’t support the NDP. Even more people would complain about Trudeau, but then mention issues that are under provincial jurisdiction (e.g. healthcare, education). This always resulted in my attempts to educate them on the difference between provincial and federal parties, and responsibilities for different levels of government, which was usually met with mixed results. Unfortunately, far too many people blame their issues on the wrong level of government, which then changes how they would vote.

During my time running for City Council, at the doors I would introduce myself, explain I was running for City Council, and then ask what their concerns were. About 95% of the time, the person would answer “no concerns,” at which point I would briefly summarize my key platform ideas in the hopes of engaging in further conversation or leaving them something to think about. I found myself increasingly frustrated by this response, because either they were incredibly privileged and actually didn’t have any concerns, or, more likely, they didn’t really understand what municipal government is responsible for. Statistically, voter turnout is highest for federal elections (68%), then provincial elections (45%), and lowest for municipal elections (32%). This is particularly ironic given that municipal elections arguably have the largest impact on day-to-day lives of Canadians, but municipal elections are continually ignored and disregarded.

This is particularly concerning in relation to school board trustees. Municipal elections typically consist of electing a councilor for one’s ward/district, a mayor/head of council, and school board trustees. Unfortunately, people don’t typically pay attention to school board trustees and will often either not vote for those, or pick the most familiar name(s). This is why many “anti-woke” groups attempted to infiltrate elections to nominate anti-trans and anti-EDI candidates in school boards across the country during the 2022 municipal election. When people don’t pay attention to the candidates and what they stand for, this can result in harmful representatives being elected.

There are voters who will go to the polls without even looking at the party/candidate platforms, and will go based on name recognition or party affiliation. This is particularly problematic, as certain parties/candidates may exploit this by choosing to delay releasing their platform until after people have already voted in advance, as the Conservative party did in the 2025 federal election. When voters don’t take the time to learn what candidates/parties stand for, OR candidates/parties deliberately withhold this information, it impedes the democratic process and contributes to uninformed voting behaviour. For instance, choosing to always vote with one particular party is problematic because parties naturally change over the years and with new leadership, and your interests/values may not always align. However, I have had several interactions at the doors where people will say: “Unless you are [X party], I don’t want to hear from you.” When I was running for City Council, several wanted to know my party affiliation despite the fact that there are no parties in municipal elections! This close-minded approach to politics is perhaps a way to simplify things, but it also biases our narratives and does not force us to engage deeper in the issues to find out where we truly align. 

Electoral Transparency & Accountability

So far I’ve largely spoken about my experience as a candidate, voter, and campaign volunteer. But I also recently worked as a poll worker for Elections Canada, and I want to express my deep admiration for how the election was run, particularly in terms of transparency and accountability. As staff, it was our responsibility to limit as many barriers as possible to ensure people could vote. The sheer number of things that were able to be used as acceptable ID was impressive – I became quite familiar with looking at credit card statements, water bills, and even prescription bottles to verify someone’s identity. This is a critical way in which we work to ensure that people are able to vote and to have their voice heard – a basic right for all Canadian citizens. 

I was also deeply impressed by the process for counting the votes. After someone filled in their ballot (behind a privacy screen), they deposited it in a sealed ballot that was not opened until after the end of the night. There was a requirement of at least three polling staff to conduct the count, and any party could also send volunteer scrutineers to witness the count. The initial count involved one person taking out a ballot, calling out the name, showing it to everyone, and then placing it in the candidate’s corresponding pile while another staff put a checkmark under the candidate’s name. Once all ballots were initially counted and sorted, we went through each pile again to verify that the number of ballots in the pile matched with the checkmarks. Afterwards, we called in the results to the Elections Canada office, carefully and confidentially sealed each envelope with the respective results, and transported them back to the office for verification. The process was very transparent, fair, and unbiased.

However, I do want to express concerns with the overall accessibility of elections, and this is not just limited to federal elections. Although the process of elections is made to be as easy as possible in terms of ID verification, simply accessing the polling stations can present barriers, both in terms of transportation and the buildings themselves. Some accessible voting tools are not available at every voting station as well, which is a challenge for disabled voters. Moreover, anyone who wants to work the election is expected to work a 12 to 16 hour day – though we were paid fairly, that is quite a long time which is simply not accessible for everyone. Accessibility is consistently stated as a priority in all levels of government, but this unfortunately does not always manifest in practice. 

Moreso, it is an incredible burden to become a candidate for election, which is not accessible for many people for a variety of reasons. For people who are truly engaged with being a candidate, this involves developing/contributing to a platform, running social media accounts and a website, attending community events, organizing your own events/fundraisers, coordinating volunteers, knocking on doors, and consistently promoting yourself as a candidate. Of course, you ideally have support from a great team of people, but it is an intense mental, physical, and emotional burden to take on. You also have to deal with any number of reactions from people at the doors, from joy to anger, sadness to hate. I had wonderful conversations at the doors; I also had some where I had to make a quick exit as they were spewing hateful slurs at me. Campaigning is not only time-consuming, but also requires a financial commitment; this limits accessibility of being a candidate, particularly for people dealing with precarious employment, who are in caregiver roles, and who balance various responsibilities within the communities. Accessibility can also be a challenge for disabled candidates in engaging with constituents; even the act of knocking on doors can present a challenge for people with mobility issues, and consistent social engagement can be difficult for some neurodivergent people. True accessibility would include working to reduce these barriers in order to better support equity-deserving candidates and representatives.

Improving Our Electoral Practices

I never like to only discuss problems – I also want to discuss solutions. We have done a lot of good work in increasing accessibility, ensuring transparency of elections, and working to diversify representatives. However, there are more key things that can be done to improve our elections and voter/civic engagement, which I address below.

1) Increase youth engagement by lowering the voting age to 16 and making civics mandatory across the country.

If youth get into the habit of voting early (age 16), they are more likely to be lifetime voters. Rather than adding this to their “adult” bucket list right when they are 18-20 years old, get them in the habit earlier. Moreover, making a full-semester civics course mandatory in grade 10 (when they are 15) can help them have a better understanding of the voting process and why their vote matters. 

2) More stringent requirements and expectations for candidates and parties, including banning attack ads, severe consequences for misinformation, and minimum attendance at at least one community event.

Attack ads are entirely about what the other candidate/party is doing “wrong”, rather than discussing what they (the candidate/party) are going to do instead. This contributes to an overall negative political culture, and may also be based around misinformation. Having harsher penalties for misinformation (including losing your ability to run for election) can help address the sharp rise in misinformation we have seen. Similarly, far too many candidates choose not to attend community events (e.g. all-candidate meetings, debates). This is a refusal to participate in the democratic process. By making it mandatory for them to attend at least one non-partisan event (or be removed as candidate), this enables voters to have a chance to actually engage with their candidates and prevents them from “ducking” questions and accountability. 

3) Deadline for all candidates/parties to release platforms BEFORE advance polls.

All candidates/parties should be required to produce a platform, and this should be required to be released before the first day of advance polls. This is another critical part of the democratic process, and failure to do so should result in harsh penalties. 

4) Improve accessibility and representation of equity-deserving communities.

Accessibility and representation are not simple issues, so I do not have simple or easy-to-articulate solutions. However, I do think it is critical for representatives at all levels of government to deeply engage with equity-deserving communities to find out what barriers they face in engaging in elections, and explore strategies (led by equity-deserving communities) for reducing these barriers to increase accessibility and representation. 

Conclusion

Despite all of my varied experiences engaging in our electoral system, I do truly believe in the importance of elections and political advocacy in making change and shaping the present (and future) we want to see. However you are engaging – as a voter, campaign volunteer, poll worker, and/or candidate – please continue to engage. This is a fundamental layer of our democracy, and everyone has a part to play in building communities based on equity, accountability, and care for one another. 

Sydney BC
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