Canada’s Election System Doesn’t Get Social Media
October 15, 2008 by Colleen Coplick
Filed under Social Media
We just had a (somewhat pointless) federal election in Canada yesterday. There’s generally supposed to be a blackout ban on televising or broadcasting the results until all of the polls across the country are closed. Because of our geographic spread, polls in Newfoundland closed more than 3 hours before those in Vancouver had. In fact, when the polls closed in Newfoundland, I still hadn’t voted in Vancouver.
The CBC is reporting today that the broadcast blackout was “broken” by the use of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Canadians with an internet connection were among those who could find their way around that particular election rule Tuesday night.
Several blogs and social networking sites that are available across the country posted comments and information about results in Eastern Canada while voters in western regions were still heading to the polls.
And satellite TV beamed Atlantic Canada’s results to the West well before the law permits.
Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act bans the transmission of election results from any electoral district where polls have closed to districts where the polls are still open. [source]
CBC reporter Susan Ormistan, who was tracking the election results, said that while it was expected that social networking sites would break Section 329, there was nothing done to counter that.
Canada is going to have to look at this “new technology” in time for the next election to prevent this from happening again, or it’s going to need to look at that Section and see how it can be updated. And the States, with their upcoming Federal election, better have a good idea on how to handle this too. (image source, screenshot by me)
I retweeted some early returns in the May/McKay battle and IMMEDIATELY had an NDP freak from Ontario on my ass. She was calling me out for breaking the law, saying I was trying to frighten voters from voting NDP in BC.
Insane. I get the spirit of the law, and think its good – in theory.
The change of ballot closings to be within 30mins from eastern to western Canada was good, but when you have 5 time zones across the country, it can be hard to synchronize it all.
The only solution is a uniform poll closing time, or to get them as close as possible, and remove all publication bans realizing that people are not likely to be consuming MSM 45mins before a poll closes, they’re likely in line with other last minute shoppers.
If polls are 6a-6p in BC, and 10a-10p in Maritimes, then you could get it done.
Saw a similar post on this very topic today. It’s quite a challenge and almost impossible to police or prevent.
It’s not a matter of not “getting” it. Social media is understood. It’s just less easily controlled. This was inavitable. People for YEARS have been able to send messages or phone people on the Wet Coast to tell them how the voting went. It’s just illegal to BROADCAST it. Social media tweeting is a grey area of “broadcasting” since it is to a select group of followers. If I had a house party election night, and someone called me from the East before the polls were closed to tell me what just went on, and I screamed it to my friends in the house, should I be carted off to jail or fined? Interesting question.