This section presents findings on poll workers' absenteeism and the impact it had on the work of their colleagues and recruitment officers.
Ninety-five percent (95%) of poll staff reported having worked all their scheduled shifts. Three percent (3%) were absent for all their scheduled shifts, and 2% were absent for at least one of their shifts.
Q4. Which of the following describes you?
(Base: n=4,168; all respondents; DK/NR: 1%)
This vertical bar chart shows respondents' shift attendance. The breakdown is as follows:
Polls workers in Quebec were less likely to say they worked all their scheduled shifts (92%) compared with other provinces (results range from 95% to 98%). Central poll supervisors (98%) were more likely to have been present for all their scheduled shifts, compared to deputy returning officers (95%), registration officers (95%), and information officers (94%). Differences based on staff age were not noteworthy.
Among poll workers who were absent for a least part of one shift (n=164), 27% attributed their absence to a physical illness. This is followed by 15% who had a family emergency, and 11% said their shift presented a conflict with their regular job or school. In addition, 6% said that they had a potential exposure to COVID-19 or were quarantined, and 5% were concerned about the risk of being infected with COVID-19. The full distribution of responses is demonstrated in Figure 49.
Q5. What was the reason you were absent for [one/some of/all of your] shifts? [Multiple responses accepted]
(Base: n=164; respondents who were absent for at least part of one of their scheduled shifts; DK/NR: 1%)
This horizontal bar chart shows the reasons why respondents, who were absent for at least part of one of their shifts, were absent. The breakdown is as follows:
The sample size is too small to allow discussion of differences between subgroups.
Seventeen percent (17%) of all those who worked at least one shift said some fellow poll staff had been absent for part or all of their shifts. Approximately three-quarters (73%) said that fellow poll staff were not absent for part or all of their shifts.
Q68. While you were working, were any fellow poll staff absent for part or all of their shifts?
(Base: n=4,042; all respondents who worked at least one shift)
This pie chart shows the percentage of respondents who reported that their fellow poll staff were absent or not for part or all of their shifts. The breakdown is as follows:
Poll workers in Alberta and Ontario (20% apiece) were more likely to report fellow staff absent for part or all of their shifts than those from British Columbia (14%), Manitoba (11%), Quebec (15%), and Atlantic Canada (13%). Central poll supervisors (27%) were more likely to report this than other positions (results range from 13% to 17%), and those who worked at advance polls (29%) were more likely than those who worked on polling day (14%) or at a mobile poll (14%). Conversely, those who worked at a seniors' residence or long-term care facility (10%) were less likely to report that their fellow poll staff were absent for part or all of their shifts than those who worked in a First Nations community (21%) or at other polling places (17%).
this had had no impact (31%) or only a minor impact (37%). In contrast, one-third (32%) believed this had had a moderate or major impact on their work.
Q69. Would you say this had no impact, a minor impact, a moderate impact or a major impact on your work?
(Base: n=668; respondents who said there were poll staff who were absent for part or all of their shift at their polling station; DK/NR: <0.5%)
This vertical bar chart shows respondents' ratings of the impact of the absence of poll staff on their work. The breakdown is as follows:
The following groups were more likely to say that worker absences had a major or moderate impact on their work: