How MNP’s Voting and Election Services supported Calgary Co-op through the election process

Solution

MNP’s Voting and Election Services team worked with Calgary Co-op’s existing election software provider, Simply Voting, and very quickly identified areas to streamline the election process.

MNP provided manual balloting support at the beginning of the engagement while working with Calgary Co-op’s relatively process of capturing these votes. This involved checking ballot boxes, collecting ballots at Calgary Co-op stores across Calgary, High River, Strathmore, and the surrounding areas, as well as entering the results into a separate database. MNP also involved its Lottery Services team to store the ballots in a secure space and complete tabulation procedures.

After Calgary Co-op’s election was complete, MNP’s Voting and Election Services team worked to enhance its data analytics around the voting process. This involved presenting the in a clear and easily accessible manner, such as by showing vote trends by geography and demographic. Additionally, the team provided feedback to help Calgary Co-op make the process more cost effective by reducing the number of physical locations and moving the process online.

Furthermore, MNP worked with Calgary Co-op’s technical team to determine a simpler method to track voting activity in its systems with considerably less manual entry.

Results

MNP continued to support Calgary Co-op with its election needs after helping to manage the election process in 2021. In the following years, the team has helped Calgary Co-op take advantage of technology to conduct the election process in a more automated and cost-effective manner.

MNP has also helped Calgary Co-op identify areas where it could be more independent of the election process. This involved taking on more of the candidate validation and submission process, including overseeing video submissions for candidates. Working in a hybrid model where MNP monitors, manages, and provides feedback to the candidates on their video submissions has enabled Calgary Co-op to conduct its elections with a greater degree of independence.

Additionally, MNP reviewed Calgary Co-op’s governance structure and bylaws to make recommendations. This has helped enable Calgary Co-op to carry out elections with greater flexibility when electing new board members.