Detailed Findings - Survey of Election Officers for the 44^th Federal General Election

8. Impact of COVID-19 Measures

This section presents election officers' awareness of the COVID-19 health and safety measures at polling places, as well as the impact those measures had on the election process.

Nearly all aware of COVID-19 conditions of employment

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, poll workers for this election had to accept the obligations to wear a mask and face shield indoors at all times and to inform the returning officer of a potential exposure to COVID-19 as conditions of employment.

Almost all respondents (96%) were made aware of the COVID-19 conditions of employment when they were recruited. Only 3% said they were not aware.

The vast majority informed of COVID-19 safety measures

When asked how informed they felt about the COVID-19 safety measures in place when they first went in to work at the poll, the vast majority (97%) indicated they felt at least somewhat informed. Specifically, 80% said they felt very informed, while 17% said they felt somewhat informed. Only 3% said they did not feel at all informed.

Those from the Atlantic region (92%), followed by those from Saskatchewan (86%), were more likely to say they were very informed about the COVID-19 safety measures than those from British Columbia (79%), Ontario (78%), Alberta (77%), and Quebec (77%). Generally, as the age of respondents increased, so did the likelihood of saying they felt very informed, from 75% of those 16 to 24 years old to 87% of those aged 75 and older.

Central poll supervisors were more likely (83%) than information officers (78%) to say they were very informed about the COVID-19 safety measures. Those who worked at mobile polls were more likely to say they felt very informed (85%), compared to those who worked at an ordinary poll on polling day (80%) and at advance polls (78%).

Nearly all said electors understood instructions for voting under the COVID-19 protocols

Ninety-six percent (96%) of those asked (n=2,038) said that electors understood the instructions on how to vote safely, including almost two-thirds (64%) who said they understood very well. Only 3% said the electors did not understand the instructions well.

Those from Saskatchewan (76%) followed by those from Atlantic Canada (72%) were more likely to say the electors understood the instructions very well than those from British Columbia (62%), Ontario (61%), and Alberta (58%).

Those who worked in seniors' residences and long-term care facilities were less likely (54%) than those who worked in First Nations communities (70%) or other communities (64%) to say that electors understood the instructions very well.

Very few had to ask electors to put on their masks

Half (n=1,994) of polling staff were asked how often they had to ask electors to put on their masks while they were working. Very few (3%) said they had to often or very often ask electors to put on their masks. The majority (86%) said they rarely or never had to ask electors to put on their masks, with 58% saying never. An additional 10% said they had to sometimes ask electors to put on their masks.

Those from Atlantic Canada (65%) and Quebec (64%) were more likely than those from Ontario (57%), Alberta (51%), and British Columbia (49%) to say they had never had to ask electors to put on their masks.

Those aged 16 to 24 years old (39%) were less likely than all other age groups (range of 55% to 62%) to say they had never had to ask electors to put on their masks. Those who worked at an advance poll (41%) were less likely to ask this of electors than those who worked at an ordinary poll on election day (62%) or at a mobile poll (57%).

Information officers (39%) and central poll supervisors (46%) were less likely to say they never had to ask, compared with registration officers (63%) and deputy returning officers (72%).

Nearly All Satisfied with Personal Protective Equipment

Ninety-four percent (94%) said they were satisfied to some degree with the personal protective equipment provided to poll workers by Elections Canada, including 73% who said they were very satisfied. Only 5% said they were not satisfied.

Those in Atlantic Canada (82%) were more likely to say they were very satisfied with the personal protective equipment provided than those in other provinces (results range from 67% to 73%), apart from Manitoba. Those who worked in First Nations communities (89%) were more likely to say they were very satisfied compared to those who worked in seniors' residences or long-term care facilities (73%) and in other communities (72%).

Those aged 16 to 24 years old (64%) and 25 to 34 years old (63%) were less likely to say they were very satisfied with the personal protective equipment than other age groups. Additionally, those who worked at an advance poll (68%) were less likely to say they were very satisfied with the PPE compared with those who worked at mobile polls (76%) and on polling day (73%).

The vast majority of poll workers felt safe working at the polls

Most poll workers (95%) said they felt safe with the measures in place for COVID-19 while they were working at the poll, including 64% who said they felt very safe. Only 4% said they felt unsafe on some level.

Those from Atlantic Canada (75%) were more likely to say they felt very safe with the COVID-19 measures than other provinces (results range from 59% to 67%), apart from Manitoba. Registration officers (67%) were more likely to say they felt very safe than deputy returning officers (62%). Those who worked in First Nations communities (74%) were more likely to say they felt very safe compared to those who worked at polling places in other communities (64%).

The feeling of being very safe working at the polls generally increased with age, from 56% of those aged 25 to 34 to 74% of those aged 75 and older.

Those who worked at an advance poll (57%) were less likely to say they felt very safe working with the COVID-19 measures that were in place than those who worked at an ordinary poll on election day (65%) or a mobile poll (71%).

Space constraints were the top reason for not feeling safe

Of the small minority who said they felt unsafe (n=144), nearly half (48%) indicated there was not enough room for social distancing in the polling place. Following this, approximately one-quarter (27%) said staff/voters were ignoring COVID protocols, 18% pointed to unsanitized surfaces, documents, and pencils, and 15% said PPE was insufficient. The full range of responses is depicted in Figure 67.

The sample size is too small to allow discussion of differences between subgroups.

Roughly four in five said COVID-19 measures did not make their job difficult

When asked if the COVID-19 measures made their job difficult at the poll, four in five (82%) said that it did not make their job difficult. One in five (17%) said that the measures did make their job difficult.

Poll workers in Alberta (21%) were more likely to say the COVID-19 safety measures made their job difficult compared with those in Manitoba (13%), Quebec (15%), and the Atlantic provinces (9%). Registration officers (11%) were less likely to say the job was made more difficult than were other poll workers in other positions (results range from 16% to 19%). Those who worked at an advance poll (23%) were more likely to say the COVID-19 safety measures made the job difficult, compared with those who worked at an ordinary poll on election day (15%) or at a mobile poll (18%).

Respondents aged 25 to 54 were more likely to say the measures made their job difficult (21%) compared with both younger respondents aged 18-24 (14%) and older respondents aged 55 and older (15%).

Understanding and being heard while wearing a mask top reason why COVID-19 safety measures made job difficult

Of those who said the COVID-19 safety measures made their job difficult (n=654), one in five (19%) said that masks made it difficult to understand people or be heard. Following this, the most-cited reasons why the measures made their job difficult were: the process of extra cleaning or organizing (15%); masks made it difficult to breathe or were hard to wear all day (14%); voting was slower or more difficult (14%); having only a DRO at each table doing a job previously done by two people (14%), and the need to have enough room to socially distance (14%). The full range of responses is depicted in Figure 69.

Registration officers (36%) and deputy returning officers (23%) were more likely to say masks made it difficult to understand people or be heard than central poll supervisors (10%) or information officers (11%).

Those who worked on polling day (23%) were more likely to say it was difficult to understand people or be heard than those who worked at an advance poll (9%).

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