Public Trust in Canadian Elections

Canada is known for having some of the highest quality and trustworthy elections around the globe (Garnett et al. 2023). But while trust in Canadian elections remains relatively high (Garnett and Leibel 2022), it may be masking growing divisions between those who have high confidence and those who have mounting distrust in elections. This can have alarming consequences. Low public trust in elections have important democratic consequences, including whether a citizen will participate in the future or simply ‘check out’ of the electoral process, abide by the decisions made by elected officials, turn to ideological extremism, or even resort to violent means to reject perceived unfair results (Garnett 2018; Hooghe, Marien, and Pauwels 2011; Norris 2019). Even a small cohort of individuals mistrusting elections can have dramatic consequences for democracy, as was made clear in the United States on January 6th 2022. In an era of declining global trust in politicians and political institutions (Pew Research Center 2023; Citrin and Stoker 2018; Norris 2022) scholars, policymakers and electoral officials are rightly concerned about the public’s declining willingness to trust elections as the primary mechanisms of democratic governance (Przeworski 1999; Dahl 1971). What does this trend look like in Canada? Where are there growing gaps in trust? And what can be done about it? This paper will consider major trends.