Personas build off traditional segmentation offerings and aim to help organizations empathize with the consumers or target audience they serve. These personas were born out of conversations with Canadians, who shared their opinions and thoughts when asked about each step of their voting journey. The personas can help Elections Canada clearly envision who they are designing experiences for and understand the varied personalities, motivations, and needs that factor into how different electors approach voting in a federal election.
The following personas intend to frame the current voter context and needs by highlighting reactions to an elector-specific journey through the voting process. These personas can be used to inform the communication of products/services/experience, optimization of communication mediums, customer experience journey adjustments, and execution of new product and service offerings.
One of the objectives of the research was to identify and group electors into personas based on common goals, motivations, and obstacles in relation to the electoral process. In the context of this research, these obstacles, or "barriers to voting," can be understood as any combination of personal factors, perceptions, attitudes or experiences related to the voting process or political participation that might increase the difficulty of voting for a person or the likelihood that they may not vote.
The following definitions of the different types of barriers to voting serve as an index while reading the personas.
Trust/ideological: Feeling distrustful of politicians, political parties and/or the political system is a major barrier for members of this group, resulting in disengagement. They do not see people like themselves, or their needs or interests, reflected in the political process. Possibly they may have voted at some point in their lives and felt disappointed that an elected candidate did not keep their promises. Whatever their past experience, Canadians with this barrier struggle to motivate themselves to vote.
Disconnected: Members of this group struggle to relate to an election because they don't see how it connects to their everyday lives. They tend to lack knowledge about political parties and platforms, rather than about the process of voting. This lack of knowledge can result in feeling disconnected from federal elections and disengaged from politics overall. To feel compelled to vote, it may help the disconnected to see how the results of an election can impact their day-to-day lives.
Unpredictability: Canadians lead busy lives with multiple work and family responsibilities. The unpredictability of the wait times they may encounter at their polling place, and the cascading effect on their carefully planned schedules, can be frustrating to members of this group. Being "too busy" or overwhelmed with work or childcare are two reasons that may cause a Canadian in this group to miss out on voting.
Anxiety: Canadians who often feel general anxiousness or worry about complexity might be more discouraged by the surprises of daily life than others. A forecast of bad weather, for example, might make a member of this group feel defeated. They are prone to stress over matters others may find trivial, such as the correct way to mark their ballot or the lack of parking spots at the polling place. (Note that this reflects a general worldview, and not that these individuals have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder).
Excluded: Canadians who are a member of a minority group may encounter friction points in a process that was originally designed to serve the majority of Canadian voters. One example is those who have changed their names or identities in some way (reflecting such varied experiences as divorced individuals and members of the trans community). Inaccurate personal information on the voter registration list, and thus on their VICs, results in frustration and potentially feelings of exclusion from the voting process. Compared with other Canadians, members of this group may encounter extra checks of their identification, which can contribute to feeling singled out at the polls.
Inexperience: Likely to be a new Canadian or a first-time voter, members of this group could benefit from more information about voting earlier on. Members of this group are engaged and passionate about elections, and a voting information package specifically for new citizens (for instance) could help them more effectively navigate this first-time process. Moreover, once empowered with more information, they may be inclined to share it with family and community members.
Accessibility: Canadians who require additional support to vote (for example, due to a physical or intellectual disability) are subject to feeling frustrated at election time. While they know how, when, and where to vote, members of this group advocate for change to ensure they can participate independently, just like other Canadians. Providing fully accessible advance poll and voting day locations, adequate accessible parking spots, and ballots in Braille or large print are changes that would be noticed and appreciated by those who experience some form of this barrier.
No barrier: Accounting for most Canadians, members of this group consider the voting process to be easy. They are familiar with the process and feel they have the right amount of knowledge to cast their ballot year after year.
Each persona was built around one (or none) of the key barriers to voting identified from the research and the common goals and motivations of different segments of electors.
Personas were associated with a fictional name, nickname, photograph, and quote that illustrates their attitudes and perspective on voting.
The body of each persona consists of the following sections:
This section provides an overview of the persona in terms of:
This section compares and contrasts three pairs of words, each including one positive word and one negative word, to describe the persona's general feelings toward voting as selected by participants in the qualitative research.
This section answers the following questions:
This section answers the following questions:
This section answers the following questions:
Guided by her general distrust in the electoral system and in politicians, Angela is highly likely to sit out the election. Having voted in the past and felt that election promises were not met or actualized, she feels disappointed.
Angela has strong feelings about the societal divide between the haves and have nots. She believes that she has consistently seen how the election results and resulting policies from the winning party do not reflect her needs or those of like-minded people. Thus, she doesn't feel it is important to vote in federal elections and is unlikely to vote in the future.
Angela lacks trust in both the voting process and the outcome of voting in elections. Voting is not something that leads to a change in her life or the lives of those in her community–so why would she bother doing it? It also leads her to question the validity or legitimacy of the process.
With notably less trust in the electoral system compared to other Canadians, Angela's barrier to voting is deeply ideological. Until further representation is realized in candidates, or until the ballot casting process feels more transparent to her, Angela will not be inclined to vote.
Feeling neutral about voting and elections in general, voting is often a last-minute decision for Tony. On election day, he is more compelled to participate if he has a partner or friend to join him and some extra time on his hands. In this thinking process, he is unsure if his vote will have any real impact on the election or his life.
At this point in his life, Tony is not very attentive to elections. Socializing with friends, both in person and online, is how he keeps himself "in the know." If it wasn't for his social media feeds, or his friends mentioning it in passing, he may have missed his chance to vote.
Currently halfway through his undergraduate degree, Tony's life is centered around his studies and the friends he socializes with daily. He doesn't relate much to the election season, unaware of the implications it will have on his own life.
He's seen some postings on campus and heard a few reminders from his professors to vote, but would need to know what his friends are doing first. If one of his friends is going out to vote, Tony would consider joining them. Tony could also benefit from a broader perspective about how voting might impact his life, as he needs to perceive it as relatable.
As a new Canadian, Joseph thinks of his family, his community, and the importance of offering the perspective of an immigrant. Having voted every chance without hesitation in his previous country, he feels impatience toward people who express strong political opinions and yet do not vote. To Joseph, voting within a democracy is a privilege–a value he hopes to instill deeply in his children.
As a new Canadian, Joseph is always putting himself in the shoes of others like him. Upon receiving his citizenship, he might have benefitted from an information package detailing the voting process. Having this information early on, he believes, will empower many more newcomers like him to vote.
Joseph's VIC is delayed in the mail. Having only just received his Canadian citizenship, not getting his VIC makes him feel confused and unsure about his eligibility to vote in Canada.
While slightly concerned, Joseph is not discouraged yet. Driven and unwavering, Joseph does everything he needs to do to find out where, when, and how to vote. This includes taking advantage of the Elections Canada website and contacting newcomer agencies to get the information he needs. He makes sure he has what he needs, as he is not going to miss the chance to vote.
Seeing voting as a necessary civic duty motivates Casey to continue participating in federal elections by getting out to vote early at advance polls. While she isn't necessarily politically charged, voting is just something she and her family have always done.
Though Casey does not consider it a complex task to vote, she would appreciate more reassurance to make it a smooth and steady process. A phone or web application that could tell her how busy the polling place is or the ability to select voting "appointment" times are two things that would help Casey feel more relaxed.
Casey is a planner. She is a busy person with many responsibilities and keeps a tight schedule to manage and fit them all in. A key challenge is fitting voting around her work and family responsibilities.
Having penciled voting into her schedule, just as she would an appointment or meeting, Casey thinks hard to find a time where lineups are short. She likes to take advantage of advance polling for this very reason. If a longer lineup impacts the time frame she has allotted to vote, it can leave her frustrated about the experience. Ideally, voting would fit into her schedule, instead of dealing with the unpredictability of not knowing the situation before she shows up at the polling place.
Alix considers voting to be a requirement of being Canadian. It is something she has always done. Yet at times, she feels frustrated that underrepresented groups in Canada, of which she is a part, are not sufficiently reflected on the political stage. Her motivation to vote depends on precisely that. She votes with a visionary mindset, hopeful that the political landscape (and accordingly, our societal landscape) might transform over time.
While she has grown accustomed to the barriers and obstacles experienced when voting in elections, she is a forward thinker who expects more, and soon.
In the last decade, Alix has changed her name. Since then, she has encountered several identification errors when going to vote in federal elections.
Although she is used to it by now, it is still a point of friction and frustration for Alix. Having to prove her identity with various pieces of identification makes Alix feel stressed and anxious, while others enjoy a smooth in and out experience. She recalls the frustration of her mother, who continued to receive a VIC addressed to her married name 12 years after her divorce.
Ajeet believes that voting is an important way to speak for yourself and for your community. He is moved by this belief and by his fond memories of voting with his grandfather when he was younger.
Hopeful that his voice will count, election day is no ordinary day for Ajeet. He considers how to strategically make his choice at the ballot box so it will contribute to the best result for Canada. Because of this, he wakes up feeling slightly anxious. He is hoping that lines aren't long and that the family member who agreed to join him at the polling place won't back out.
In his daily life, Ajeet doesn't like surprises. Voting in an election is no different. In order to feel confident and prepared, he studies all aspects of the voting process. Having driven by the polling location a few times on his way back from work during the days of advance polling, he notes when the parking lot is busier than he'd prefer. A full parking lot could mean long line-ups and wait times, which is something Ajeet wants to avoid.
A forecast of bad weather could also make Ajeet contemplate his plans to vote and less optimistic about the day.
Andrea is a determined voter. When she votes, she feels that she is expressing her viewpoint. As a Canadian with accessibility obstacles, Andrea uses her voice to make a difference for those like her. She is vocal about the necessity of voting, in order to speak for those who might not be able to.
As a person with both mobility and visual impairments, Andrea has experienced her fair share of frustrating moments related to voting in the past. These moments are what continue to motivate her to vote time after time and also encourage her to be an advocate for change and accessibility.
Due to her health considerations and impairments, Andrea is often unable to predict how she will feel one day to the next. Her preference is to vote in person. In order to do so, she must connect with a family member to ask them to drive her to the polling place.
If health issues get in the way, Andrea will have already missed her chance to vote by mail-in ballot. She wishes she had another option to vote on election day without leaving her home if needed. She is determined to vote but is aware that her disability may shake up her day unexpectedly.
Nia is motivated by the power of democracy. She feels it is important to vote because it determines how our lives and country will be impacted. She believes voting provides a great opportunity to shape the direction of society by selecting candidates who most closely mirror her views through policy.
Nia feels comfortable in an increasingly digital world and would welcome an option to vote online or even an online chat service available on the Elections Canada website that could help answer any questions she or others may have.
While Nia hasn't been voting for long, she finds the voting process to be simple. In order to avoid any spontaneous switch-ups or conflicts to her plans on election day, Nia makes sure to take advantage of advance polls to ensure her vote is cast on time.
Invigorated by current events and her vast knowledge of politics, Nia can't imagine anything standing in her way of voting. She holds the inherent belief that every citizen's vote can impact how the government meets the needs and expectations of Canadians.
Tim feels strongly that it is his duty as a Canadian citizen to vote when an election is called, and it is a responsibility he takes seriously. Tim emphasizes that voting is an obligation or duty, but he also considers it to be a right or privilege that must be practiced and preserved.
Like his grandfather did before him, he looks forward to taking his own grandchildren with him to vote on election day. Continuing this memorable family tradition and passing on the importance of voting to the next generation is meaningful to Tim. He hopes they will, in time, share the same sense of duty he does.
Ever since Tim reached legal voting age, he has taken part in as many municipal, provincial, and federal elections as possible. He lives in a small town, where he has frequented the same polling place for the last several elections. When an election is called, Tim is prepared to vote.
Tim believes that everything possible is being done to make the voting process easy and simple, and that ultimately the responsibility falls on each individual voter to do his or her part. He thinks offering an online version of the Voter Information Card to encourage others to vote would be great.