Social media transforming election campaigns

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Created on Wednesday, 28 October 2009 16:56

by Adriana Christianson

Tweets, blogs, Facebook and YouTube – these world-wide forums are fast, free, popular and now they are transforming election campaigns at the local level. 

At 10 pm on Wednesday, a live feed on the Regina civic election website posted unofficial results reported by 53 out of 55 polling stations. This is only one example of how residents followed the 2009 civic election in more ways than ever before.

In an effort to motivate people to vote, Philippe LeClerc, interactive communications manager for the city posted 40 candidate profile videos to YouTube. In two weeks, these videos generated more than 6,000 views in total. Meanwhile, the Regina Elections Facebook page attracted nearly 300 fans. An election Twitter feed launched in September became a tool for candidates and local journalists who wanted instant updates on nominations and poll results.

LeClerc said low voter turnout in the previous two elections prompted him to try using social media to break into a new demographic. 

 “If you keep doing the same thing you will get the same results. We didn’t want the same results, we wanted better results and to do that we had to branch out into these different media channels to support and extend what we’ve already done.”

He considers the Facebook page to be a highly successful outlet for providing election information to voters. One wall post directed voters to their polling stations and offered links to platforms for each candidate. 

“(Through) these interactive tools I am able to make a connection with people who may or may not have participated in the election before,” said LeClerc.

He also noted that the videos were a good way to put a face to the name and platform of each candidate because they couldn’t knock on every voter’s door.  With two minutes each to explain their campaign platforms, every candidate had an equal voice. Jim Elliot, who challenged incumbent Pat Fiacco in the race for mayor, had the most popular video, generating more than 600 views on his own. Fiacco came in a close second with 491 views.

LeClerc said only three candidates who were not acclaimed in their wards or school subdivisions did not participate in these videos.

“Everyone who participated felt these tools were essential to connect with younger voters,” he said.

The popularity of these YouTube videos did not translate into results. Elliott at 11 per cent with only 4,128 votes lost to Fiacco with 84 per cent counting 29,383 votes.  An online search revealed that new candidates embraced social media forums more than their competition.

For example, a Facebook group called Heather McIntyre for City Council (Ward 2) introduced McIntyre who challenged incumbent Jocelyn Hutchinson for city councillor. While Hutchinson did have a website, it displayed the same information as her billboards along with an email address. In contrast, McIntyre’s campaign website included blog posts related to city issues, a public comment board and a video introduction.

McIntyre said she considers a website to be the most cost-effective way to get information to large numbers of people. The ability to change and update information also gives websites an advantage over static brochures.

“I don’t think blogging and Facebook groups and websites such as we have been using are a replacement for door-knocking, but the reality is that the (wards) are huge and the chances of you knocking on every door during a campaign period are slim to nil frankly,” she said. “I think the web-based communications just give you another way to reach out to your constituents in a timely manner.”

 McIntyre said she was pleasantly surprised at how many people contacted her by email or phone after finding her website.

“I contrast that to the mainstream media which seems to think that the electorate is unengaged,” she said. “I would argue that they are in fact very engaged despite the fact that the media hasn’t helped them in that process in my opinion.”

The two candidates ran a tight race to the finish, but as of 10:21 pm, Hutchinson was announced as the winner with 2,454 votes, while McIntyre had 2,263, giving the candidates 52 and 48 per cent support respectively. 

Fred Clipsham who will enter his sixth term as a councillor for ward three, was one of the incumbents in this election who relied solely on tried and tested campaign methods.

When asked about using social media he said he thought about developing a website but never really got around to it. He described himself as old fashioned, saying that he prefers to be involved with community groups and attend meetings in person. He believes talking to people directly is still the best way to engage people and remains to be convinced that social media has the same effect.

“You have to come out of your house and get involved (because) the community is outside your door,” Clipsham said.

Clipsham won with 1306 votes representing 36 per cent of voters in his ward, John Conway (who had a facebook page) came in at a close second with 1162 or 32 per cent.

The complete impact of social media on this civic election campaign is difficult to judge, but many people expect to see this trend growing in the future.