Electronic Voting Process

    Delegates at the 2024 Constitutional Convention unanimously approved a resolution to transition the Union from traditional mailout voting to electronic voting. This change comes into effect immediately for all official elections, including the upcoming Inshore Council election in 2025.

    This modern system will allow members to cast votes through email or telephone, and if members do not have an email on file they will still be notified through traditional mail.

    Democratic Process

    Did you know that FFAW-Unifor is unique in that ALL members in good standing vote in leadership elections? The vast majority of trade unions elect their top positions at Conventions, with only in-person delegates eligible to vote. FFAW-Unifor uses a much more democratic and representative process to ensure all members vote – however this means there are significantly higher costs as a result.

    Key Benefits of the Transition

    Cost Efficiency

    The union expects to save approximately $40,000 per major election, as demonstrated by a cost analysis of the 2024 Executive Board election.

    Switching to eVoting will mean more funds for member services instead of using that money on postage and printing costs.

    Enhanced Accessibility

    – Members can vote via email or telephone
    – Support will be provided for a smooth transition
    – PIN-based secure voting system ensures voter security

    Operational Improvements

    The new system will significantly reduce administrative burden and provide near-instantaneous results. The Union has selected Intelivote, an Atlantic Canada-based company with over 20 years of experience conducting large-scale votes in Newfoundland and Labrador. Their system is fully auditable and secure. Other organizations that already use Intelivote:

    • Qalipu First Nations
    • Federal and Provincial Political Parties; Liberals, Conservatives, and NDP
    • Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador
    • NAPE
    • Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)
    • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
    • Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

    Volunteer Elections Committee

    The FFAW Elections Committee is a volunteer group that are not compensated for their time. An enormous amount of volunteer time was required for the 2024 Executive Board election – counting of the ballots alone took over 16 hours and had to be completed in a single day.

    Implementation Plan

    The Union will launch an email collection campaign to add to their existing database of 5,700 member emails. Members without email access will receive voting PINs by mail, ensuring no one is left behind in the transition.

    Online Form

    Visit www.ffaw.ca/survey and click the survey link for your sector to record your updated information. All completed forms will be entered to win 1 of 3 $100 gift cards!

    Demographic Information

    It’s important to note that the Union somes does not receive information on birthdates and gender from some buyers or workplaces, meaning that some members may miss out on voting for their affirmative action seats, such as the Women’s Positions and Young Harvester positions.

    Ensuring your fishing area and species information is recorded means the Union will be able to more effectively carry out various fleet votes.

    Visit the survey link above to ensure you receive all relevant elections materials.

    How it Works

    1. Members will be notified of the Nomination period and process electronically. No paper mail will be sent for the Nomination period unless specifically requested. The Nomination process will be announced and advertised on social media, website, sent to all emails on file, and announced on local media channels such as VOCM and the CBC Broadcast.
    2. Candidates and membership voting lists will be confirmed by Elections Committee, as is currently done, and this information will then be communicated directly from the Elections Committee to Intelivote.
    3. Intelivote will then take over the process. They will either email or mail voting instructions and PINs to all eligible members in good standing. Any member with an email on file will receive their information via email, while any member without an email on file will receive their voting instructions via traditional mail.
    4. Voting instructions will give members the option to vote via telephone or website. Each PIN can only register one vote.
    5. If members do not receive their voting information, the Elections Committee will work with Intelivote to cancel your previous PIN and issue a new one.
    6. Results are available nearly instantaneously after the voting period closes. 

    EACH MEMBER WILL NEED A UNIQUE EMAIL ADDRESS. SPOUSES CANNOT SHARE AN EMAIL FOR THE PURPOSES OF EVOTING. 

    YOUR SECRET BALLOT VOTE IS PROTECTED. NOBODY FROM INTELIVOTE, FFAW STAFF, OR THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE WILL EVER KNOW WHO YOU VOTED FOR.

    WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO VOTE? YOU MUST BE A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING TO VOTE IN OFFICIAL ELECTIONS. ALL MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING HAVE A MEMBERSHIP CARD FOR THE CURRENT PERIOD 2024-2025. CALL 709-576-7276 TO FIND OUT YOUR STATUS.

    If you have questions about this process or would like more information on Intelivote, please contact Courtney Glode at cglode@ffaw.ca.