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Indigenous Experiences with Online Voting

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Indigenous Experiences with Online Voting Indigenous Experiences with Online Voting May 2021 FN DIGITAL DEMOCRACY REPORT 1 This report is reflective of community-engaged work with the folllowing partners: This report is supported in part by the following organizations: FN DIGITAL DEMOCRACY REPORT 2 Table of Contents Note to the Reader ........................................................................................................................................5 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................................6 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................9 Indigenous Elections and COVID-19 ................................................................................................... 11 Background on Indigenous Governance and Elections .............................................................12 First Nation Elections and Ratification Processes ........................................................................14 Definitions and Methodology .................................................................................................................15 Definitions ....................................................................................................................................................15 Indigenous .............................................................................................................................................15 Online Voting ........................................................................................................................................16 Methodology ..............................................................................................................................................17 A Community-Engaged Approach...............................................................................................18 Current Climate for Online Voting ....................................................................................................... 20 Attitudes Toward Online Voting .......................................................................................................... 20 Indigenous Perspectives Toward Online Voting ............................................................................22 Online Voting: Benefits and Barriers .................................................................................................. 24 Benefits and Barriers from Indigenous Perspectives ................................................................ 29 Community Profiles .....................................................................................................................................32 General Overview .....................................................................................................................................32 Wasauksing First Nation .......................................................................................................................33 Community Context ...........................................................................................................................33 Rationale for Use .................................................................................................................................34 Implementation ...................................................................................................................................35 FN DIGITAL DEMOCRACY REPORT 3 Outcomes and Lessons Learned .................................................................................................. 36 Nipissing First Nation ..............................................................................................................................37 Community Context ...........................................................................................................................37 Rationale for Use .................................................................................................................................37 Implementation .................................................................................................................................. 38 Outcomes and Lessons Learned ................................................................................................ 39 Tsuut’ina Nation ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Community Context .......................................................................................................................... 40 Rationale for Use ................................................................................................................................ 40 Implementation ...................................................................................................................................41 Outcomes and Lessons Learned ................................................................................................ 42 Good Practices ............................................................................................................................................. 44 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................51 Priorities and Next Steps ..........................................................................................................................57 References...................................................................................................................................................... 58 Authors ............................................................................................................................................................. 64 FN DIGITAL DEMOCRACY REPORT 4 Note to the Reader Additional details about the authors are included at the end of the report. The writing of this report would not have been possible without the contributions of many people. Very special thanks to Brian Budd (University of Guelph), Liam Midzain- Gobin (Brock University) and Valerie O’Brien (McMaster University) for their support and meaningful contributions to the report. The authors extend their gratitude to the communities who contributed to this knowledge and engaged with the authors: Tsuut’ina Nation, Wasauksing First Nation, Nipissing First Nation and others. Sincere thanks to those who participated in interviews to inform the report and its recommendations: Stephen Beamish, Fred Bellefeuille, Cree Big Plume, Marc Boivin, Cassandra Cadeau, Richard Catahan, James Claiborne, Vanessa Eagletail, Aleksander Essex, Amanda Goodrunning, Jennifer Greengrass, Alison Heavenfire, Joyce Tekahnawaiiks King, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Steven Lattey, Lawrence Lewis, Rob McMahon, Dwayne Nashkawa, Stéphane Perrault, Jolene Pewapisconias, Chris Piper, Jennifer Predie, Michel Roussel, Gwendoline Savoy, Barbara Simons, Dean Smith, Ryan Tabobodung, Sue Torosian, Roxanne Warrior, and Patti Wight. Special thanks to Sarah Byrne, Genevieve Lessard, Julie Pellerin, Jennifer Predie, and Meaghan Squire for their comments and suggestions, and to Aleksander Essex for assistance with technical components of the report. Thank you to Christy Paddick and Amanda Tieber for support with copyediting and to Dan Brandon for copy design. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the participants of the Centre for e-Democracy’s 2016 Online Voting Roundtable, whose voices brought an important perspective to debates of electoral reform and online voting. The Roundtable and much of the research that informs this report is part of a research project, entitled, First Nations Digital Democracy, which was funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant. Any errors or omissions in the report are our own. FN DIGITAL DEMOCRACY REPORT 5 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to examine the opportunities and challenges online voting presents for participation and governance in First Nations in Canada. Specifically, the report draws on the experiences of three First Nations: Tsuut’ina Nation, Wasauksing First Nation and Nipissing First Nation. The research for this report was conducted by Dr. Chelsea Gabel (McMaster University) and Dr. Nicole Goodman (Brock University). Guided by a community-engaged research process, our approach to the project included the following methods: (1) 27 semi-structured interviews and a focus group; (2) a 2016 Online Voting Roundtable; (3) a community-engaged research project entitled First Nations Digital Democracy and d) local employment and capacity building. Significant input was provided by First Nations at every stage of the process, including feedback of the draft report and its recommendations. Overall, the report finds that online voting is appealing to First Nations as a way to enhance participation, self-determination and governance. In particular, it can serve as a tool to improve voting accessibility and engagement for members living off-reserve. The engagement of off-reserve members is important as communities may require participation and approval thresholds to pass community-based
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