On first full day of the federal election campaign, some Maritime voters found themselves already torn.
“Right now, it’s a tough decision, how you would vote,” said one shopper at the Mayflower Mall in Sydney, N.S.
For some people, a single issue seemed to be enough to make up their minds.
“It’s the cost of living. It’s crazy,” said another shopper.
“Trump, fighting Trump,” said still another. “Staying as Canadians. We’re the best country in the world.”
When asked where they get their information before casting a ballot, answers were short and to the point.
“Watching TV, Internet,” said one man.
“I’d rather not say,” said another.
Cape Breton University political scientist Tom Urbaniak said with how much is at stake, Canadians are emotionally charged and feel invested in their country’s future.
“I think there is a widespread sense that this is a generational election,” Urbaniak said. “I predict the voter turnout will be higher in the federal election than what we’ve seen in recent provincial elections.”
Urbaniak said that’s why it’s important to be vigilant about misinformation, noting the federal government’s recent Hogue inquiry into foreign interference in electoral processes.
“That there are foreign actors who are trying to pollute some of the social media, sometimes to appear credible and to put outright lies into the public discourse,” Urbaniak said.
Mike Traynor and Blair Ellis are founders of a Halifax-based company that is currently in the process of making software aimed at civic engagement. They have found it can be difficult for voters to separate policy from personality.
“It’s not really our fault,” said Traynor. “It’s baked into us to want to make decisions quickly, based on information that is emotionally salient.”
“And what we kind of find out through a lot of the work that we did is that a lot of people don’t know how to inform themselves,” Ellis said.
The pair said some people have trouble finding the time to do proper research and others may be influenced by things like how their family has voted historically or by something as simple a gut feeling about a candidate.
“Think about the real work and the policies that are being worked on instead of who’s saying what,” Ellis said.
Urbaniak said this federal election will be the first during which the largest social media platform – Facebook – will not share articles from mainstream Canadian media, adding another layer to some of the confusion between reliable information and misinformation.
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