Elections NB launches 'proactive' campaign against voting system doubts

Elections NB has launched a new advertising campaign to fight any doubt about its voting systems, with the writ drop for a provincial election days away.

“In the last five to 10 years, the environment in which elections are being conducted has changed dramatically,” says Kim Poffenroth, New Brunswick’s chief electoral officer. “A tactic has been taken in certain parts of the world, that in order to attack your opponent or undermine an elected government, the tactic is to attack the election management body in order to undermine trust in the results.”

“Rather than waiting until that happens here in New Brunswick, that’s why we’re being proactive, making sure people understand the process ahead of time.”

Poffenroth says the campaign is not a direct response to any specific allegation of election interference, in the province or elsewhere.

“It’s happened in many different jurisdictions, and I don’t want to discuss any one in particular," she says.

The ad campaign includes videos covering the topics of how to vote, how election results are reported, and how tabulation machines operate.

It was election night 2014 when results from tabulation machines were delayed due to a software glitch. Poffenroth says this ad campaign is “not really connected” to that incident.

“That was dealt with in 2014,” says Poffenroth.

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The videos will be featured on several social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, as well as movie theatre previews.

Altogether, the campaign will cost about $175,000.

Jamie Gillies, coordinator of the communications and public policy program at Fredericton’s St. Thomas University, says there’s value in what Elections NB is trying to do in the lead up to this fall’s vote.

“They’re making people aware that there could be forces out there that want to interfere,” says Gillie. “It might not happen, but I think that's probably a wise thing for our elections, the integrity of our elections.”

New Brunswick’s fixed election date is Oct. 21.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.