Election 2011: Voter Suppression

Hennessy's Index is a monthly listing of numbers, written by the CCPA's Trish Hennessy, about Canada and its place in the world. Scroll down for a PDF version. For other months, visit: http://policyalternatives.ca/index

• 18

  Minimum number of ridings in which Canadian voters were allegedly harassed or deceived about voter information during the 2011 federal election, spawning an Elections Canada investigation into voter suppression tactics. (Source)

• 43

  Total number of ridings, to date, which Liberals and New Democrats claim received “false or misleading” phone calls during the 2011 federal election. (Source)

• 51

  Number of close races in the 2011 federal election. (Source)

• 11

  Number of House of Commons seats buffering the Conservative Party’s majority rule. (Source)

• 2

  Number of companies linked, to date, to potential voter suppression-related election-time calls (RackNine and RMG). (Source 1, 2, 3)

• 0

  Number of fake calls voice broadcast company RackNine claims it knowingly facilitated during the 2011 federal election, though Elections Canada allegedly traced fraudulent phone calls to a RackNine number. RackNine claims no knowledge of such tactics and is cooperating with Elections Canada’s investigation. (Source 1, 2)

• 10 million

  Number of robocalls RackNine claims it made, out of 200 accounts, during the 2011 federal election. (Source)

• 94

  Number of Conservative candidates who allegedly paid for RMG’s services in the 2011 campaign. Election-time staff from a Thunder Bay-based RMG call centre allege they were instructed to make calls to voters relaying false information.. (Source 1, 2)

• 1

  Number of Conservative staffers publicly associated with the robocall scandal to date, though he claims no involvement. (Source 1, 2, 3)

• 5

  Number of years a person can spend in prison for breaking Canada’s Election Act (or up to a $5,000 fine, or both. (Source)