ELECTION INTEGRITY
Elections PEI is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of PEI and as such, receives our mandate directly through legislation. Our non-partisan status means we treat all electors (voters) candidates and political parties fairly and equally.
Election integrity is at the core of what we do at Election PEI. An election that was conducted fairly and impartially for voters to truly trust the results is the prime example of Election Integrity.
Elections PEI processes are designed to protect and preserve election integrity requires a whole-of-society approach, based on fundamental democratic principles like
- ensuring the right to vote for as many people bound by PEI government's laws as possible;
- one person one vote;
- a secret ballot;
- non-partisan election administration; and
- a level playing field for campaigns.
Elections PEI plays a significant role but so do many other groups, including provincial government partners, political partners, the media, academia, civil society organizations, NGO's and electors.
TTHREATS TO ELECTION INTEGRITY
Disinformation and Misinformation
Disinformation is false information deliberately spread to mislead voters.
Misinformation is false information shared by someone who doesn't know it's false.
Learning to spot disinformation and misinformation helps Elections PEI protect election integrity by limiting the spread of false information about elections. Although both may be difficult to identify, there are common signs, everyone can look for with online content that:
- provokes a strong emotional response;
- makes a bold statement or extraordinary claim;
- seems to good to be true;
- contains clickbait (example "You won't believe what was caught on video");
- uses small pieces of valid information but are exaggerated or distorted; and
- has been shared widely on platforms with a history of spreading disinformation.
These signs do not prove the content contains false information, but they are good indicators for you to fact check for the accuracy of the content before you share it with others.
Elections PEI is your trusted source for accurate and up-to-date information about the electoral process on Prince Edward Island. You can use the following tools to further investigate any online posting you find suspicious. Perhaps one of these professional fact-checkers has already identified and debunked it:
Always check with the Elections PEI office and or other multiple sources before accepting or sharing information you find online regarding the electoral process.
THREATS TO ELECTION SECURITY
Elections PEI considers any threat to election workers, the technology we use or processes is also a threat to our election integrity.
This may include, but not limited to:
- intimidate or threaten election workers;
- disrupting election process at voting locations;
- suppress voting or illegally influencing electors (eg vote buying);
- committing voter fraud; and
- compromise election technology
Activities compromising election security are serious offences under the Election Act
Elections PEI retains a close and healthy working relationship with local and federal law enforcement organizations to maintain secure election proceedings for all.
ELECTION TRANSPARENCY
Elections PEI pays close attention to transparency and oversight to provide additional protection against threats to election integrity.
We post detailed information about the electoral process here on our website during an election including:
- Poll Locations;
- Voting Dates and Times;
- Candidates names, pictures and party affiliations;
- Voting opportunities; and
- District Returning Officer office locations and contact information.
Following every election, Elections PEI submits a Report by the Chief Electoral Officer of PEI to the Speaker of the House in the PEI Legislative Assembly. This report summarizes all activities from the election including campaign contributions and expenses from the candidates and parties along with an itemized election expense by Elections PEI.
There are many opportunities for candidates and or their representatives to observe these processes in person to ensure the election process is being conducted fairly and impartially.
Candidate representatives (also known as scrutineers) can observe voting and counting processes at voting locations.
Media representatives are always invited to a scheduled "Media Day" at a voting location prior to any polls opening. Here, the media can witness the electoral process, and take pictures and or videos for their news coverage. They are restricted in their recording capabilities when the polls are open for voting. Elections PEI officials are on-site to provide answers to any questions from the media regarding any portion of the electoral process.