The ABCs of Electoral Reform: An Experiment on Civic Literacy in Canada

• In Event: Poster Session: Formal Political Theory; Political Methodology & Canadian Politics
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Canadian politics

Abstract

How should citizens be educated about complicated political issues like electoral reform? Are there basic principles that should be followed?

This paper considers this challenge in the Canadian context. Canada has experienced a string of failed electoral reform proposals in recent years. From the 2015 Liberal election promise of electoral system reform, to referendums in PEI, Ontario and British Columbia. After each failed attempt, commentators blamed the failure of these referendums on poor education campaigns. Uninformed citizens, it is argued, cannot make competent decisions on the complicated issue of electoral reform. In Canada’s experiences with electoral reform plebiscites, the provincial election management body (EMB) was tasked with the massive project of educating the public on possible new electoral systems, but were criticized for failing to adequately ensure that the public was informed on the possible options on the ballot.

This project tests one potential principle for government bodies, the media and educators to follow when conducting information campaigns: namely, the literacy levels of political information. Educators have long argued that texts can be confusing when written at a literacy level higher than the reader is able to digest. This project tests the impact of literacy levels on information levels, knowledge or understanding, interest and opinions of an electoral reform proposal.

It employs an experimental design, conducted in-person in Fall 2018 with Ontario college students. The experiment asked the students to read a text on a new electoral system at one of three reading levels and then answer a series of questions gauging their understanding, knowledge and opinions of the electoral reform proposal. The results provide an assessment of the impact of different levels of information on understanding, interest and knowledge of electoral reform and suggests concrete recommendations for election management bodies and other actors seeking to educate the public on difficult political questions.

Authors

• Holly Ann Garnett, Royal Military College of Canada

• André Blais, University of Montreal