F05(b) - Politics and Political Science Online
Date: Jun 2 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location:
Chair/Président/Présidente : Darielle Talarico (University of British Columbia)
Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Sophie Borwein (University of Toronto)
Scaling Up Deliberative Democracy with Digital Game Experiences: Darielle Talarico (University of British Columbia)
Abstract: Research shows that participants of deliberative minipublics often experience post-event subjective changes regarding their opinions and interest in political matters. Therefore, it seems worthwhile to find a means to increase public participation in deliberation minipublic public experiences. If this is to occur in the digital public sphere, two functions of the minipublic must be replicated, first the role of the facilitator and second the ability to have dialogical exchanges that involve differing views. Both of these functions create the conditions for intersubjective tension and self-reflection. Towards this end, researchers often investigate the use of digital mechanisms, such as online discussion forums. I take a novel approach and examine if the solo-play of a digital process that involves the sorting of subjective views can cause participants to experience intersubjective tension and self-reflection. These are two deliberative-like experiences produced without the use of a facilitator in a process that does not limit participation. Thus, my research investigates how the solo play of a subjective sorting process, positioned as a game, might be a stress-free entry point to deliberative political talk. I call this entry point the digital deliberative node or a place where one can explore their own and others subjectivity. I also will investigate whether solo play of this type is more or less stressful than social media exchanges. Both experimental trials and interviews will be used to determine if a digital deliberative node can be used to help scale-up deliberative democracy and enhance the deliberative system.
Online Voting in Canadian Municipal Elections: A Large Shift with Small Impacts: Michael Wigginton (University of Ottawa), Daniel Stockemer (University of Ottawa)
Abstract: As internet use has grown to become almost omnipresent, so too has its potential to impact voting behaviour. While all elections now have to contend with the internet’s effect on political communication, a few select jurisdictions in the world feel this effect far more directly by allowing citizens to cast their ballot online. Does this major shift in how elections are conducted affect electoral participation or results? In this study, we examine these questions using the voting results of municipalities in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia both before and after the implementation of online voting. We find the availability of online voting to be associated with a modest, but significant, increase in voter turnout, with online elections having on average a turnout bonus of approximately 4 percentage points. We further find uptake in online voting to be most common in more rural areas. While we find internet voting to have a modest influence on participation, we do not find any significant impact on which candidates are elected.
On the External Validity of Non-Probability Samples: The Case of Vote Compass: Clifton van der Linden (McMaster University)
Abstract: How effective are non-probability samples at measuring public opinion? Conventional wisdom holds that only probability samples can be generalized to a population of interest such as to allow statistical inferences about said population. However, emergent modalities of communication are increasingly diverse and esoteric, compounding the potential for coverage error and non-response bias in probability samples. This paper argues that, under specific circumstances, certain types of non-probability sample may be capable of yielding reliable inferences about a population of interest. To test this hypothesis, the paper analyzes the inferences derived from the Canadian Election Study (CES) and Vote Compass. It uses the election outcome as a benchmark and models the observations collected from each sample to assess how accurately they are able to the forecast the distribution of the vote.
Campaign Contact, Online Mobilization, and Satisfaction with Democracy: Nick Ruderman (Concordia University)
Abstract: Does campaign contact affect citizens’ levels of satisfaction with democracy? It is well-established that contact from political parties and candidates, particularly face-to-face contact, can stimulate voter turnout. But does such contact also shape citizens’ attitudes about their political system? More particularly, in light of substantial changes in the nature of voter mobilization, do different forms of contact have different attitudinal effects? Prior research suggests that campaign contact carries positive implications for evaluations of the political system, though few studies have examined the impact of increasingly common online contact in comparison to traditional forms of mobilization. This paper examines that question in greater depth through multivariate analyses of data from the fourth wave of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (CSES), 2011-2016.