Elections Canada launches online disinformation tool to prepare voters for next federal election

Elections Canada is trying to insulate Canadian voters from false narratives and information during the next federal election by launching an online tool to help voters cut through misinformation and disinformation about the electoral process in Canada.

The ElectoFacts website, launched this week, provides factual information to debunk the most common misconceptions observed by Elections Canada officials in recent years.

«Building resilience against inaccurate information helps strengthen the overall health of democracy,» Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said in a statement.

«ElectoFacts is one additional step electors can take to ensure they are informed and have accurate information about the electoral process.»

The ElectoFacts website says that it does not intend to establish Elections Canada as «the arbiter of truth» that will actively monitor the accuracy of statements and information distributed by parties and candidates. The agency said it will instead focus on providing correct information about elections that Canadians can easily access.

Visitors to ElectoFacts can scroll through eight categories where disinformation is taking place:

• Special ballots.
• Ways to vote.
• The counting process.
• Voting technology.
• Foreign interference.
• The administration of elections.
• The administration of Elections Canada.
• Campaign finance.

Each category displays the «inaccurate information observed» with an accompanying and detailed explanation of what is accurate.

Special ballots

On the subject of special ballots, or mail-in ballots, for example, Elections Canada said the two largest misconceptions were that 205,000 mail-in ballots were «lost, ignored» or deliberately not counted during the 2021 federal election.

The agency's