Website filling the information gap on who the region’s candidates are

The election is right around the corner with some voters still undecided as the hours creep closer to Feb. 27.

To help people find all the relevant information like ridings, candidates and where to vote, a new initiative out of Civic Tech WR was created. The group is volunteer-run and consists of technology and community advocates who want to find tech-based solutions to neighbourhood problems.

“We meet weekly to work on a variety of different projects like a community calendar and someone’s working on a robot that can summarize council meeting minutes,” Haley Rutherford, a member of the group told The Mike Farwell Show.

Since 2018 the organization has been working on WaterlooRegionVotes.org, a non-partisan branch to help people through elections.

More on the election

Website filling the information gap on who the region’s candidates are

The election is right around the corner with some voters still undecided as the hours creep closer to Feb. 27. To help people find all the relevant information like ridings, candidates and where to…

3h ago

Green Party candidates endorse NDP in Waterloo, Kitchener—Conestoga

A double endorsement was made for the New Democratic Party in Waterloo Region. The Ontario Green Party candidates in both Waterloo and Kitchener—Conestoga have thrown their support behind the NDP…

7h ago

Reminder: You don’t need your Voter Information Card to vote

There’s a reminder being issued to Ontario voters: You don’t need your Voter Information Card to cast a ballot on Thursday. Elections Ontario has confirmed that cards were mailed out to all registered…

23h ago

Ontario provincial election: 2025 advance voter turnout lower than previous years

Advance voting in the 2025 Ontario provincial election came to an end over the weekend and preliminary figures show that 678,789 voters cast their ballot over the three-day period. Elections Ontario…

The main page on the site can help people find who their candidates are and list news articles and other information on the election. It also has a list of events and recordings from local debates to help people keep track of what has been said.

“We’re really just about getting information out for people to make their own decisions,” Rutherford said.

The group’s first election active was in 2018 for the municipal vote. Rutherford said at that time it was “challenging” to find information on each of the candidates.

“They’re not associated with a particular regular political party, but even in provincial and federal elections when there is…You still want to get to know these candidates on a more personal level,” she said.

The group is particularly working hard during this election due to the short advanced polling period and already reported low voter turnout.

Elections Ontario says 6.14 per cent of eligible voters across the province went to cast their ballots early. Fixed-date elections require 10 days of advanced polls, but snap elections, like this one, only need three, a spokesperson from Elections Ontario said.

“We know we’re not seeing as many road signs out there, candidates haven’t been able to do as much door-knocking,” Rutherford said. “This is a place where people can go to get some of that experience of meeting their candidates.”