Political Communications During COVID-19
Recently, Sophie Mutch of young & free press attended a virtual meet-and-greet with some London-area politicians. The event was organized by the NDP Club at Western University. Current MPPs Terence Kernaghan and Peggy Sattler participated, as well as former MP and MPP Irene Mathyssen. This experience prompted Sophie to look a bit deeper at how politicians are managing communications during the pandemic.
As COVID-19 puts up many obstacles for safe social interaction, politicians seem to be finding new ways to interact with voters and the public in general. Watching the US election unfold and the very different approaches taken by Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I wondered, how are elected officials in Canada faring at staying connected to their communities?
At all levels, politicians and riding representatives have continued to promote their views on political issues and events via social media. Some post pictures of themselves participating in the legislature, at council meetings, or in the community. We need political stability right now, and our elected leaders have important roles to play as we live through the pandemic. At the same time, are politicians starting to feel increasingly distant from our lives?
Engagement with politicians on social media has grown during the pandemic. This is not surprising because social media is currently the best way to share information while also respecting public health guidelines. The tools are cost effective, easy to use, and there are platforms that appeal to different groups. News on social media is often abbreviated and digestible, which is good since the modern attention span is short. Politicians with good social media strategies stand out more and more.
For those who like receiving their political news condensed, following your favourite politicians on social media can be beneficial. Many update their profiles regularly with pictures, information, and sometimes even short videos on how they are contributing to legislation or their point-of-view on the latest events. Many politicians, including Goldie Ghamari, Progressive Conservative MPP for Ottawa-Carleton, and Jagmeet Singh, Federal Leader of the NDP, make funny, informative short videos on pertinent political topics.
For those who want to explore in more detail, many politicians have websites that are updated frequently with longer news articles. The most frequently updated websites are those of the federal and provincial parties, such as the NDP, Liberals and Conservatives; however, individual politicians do sometimes have news articles and policy information on their sites.
As well as posting pictures, I would suggest that more politicians make approximately minute-long videos explaining a particular event or providing a compilation of some of the most important news of the past week or month. Depending on the type of video, these may help people get a better understanding of the political process or important local, provincial or national events. I think that this might also attract more people, as many are often drawn to messages that can be easily and quickly understood.
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie has done two minute videos summarizing Guelph City Council Meetings, which I think are very beneficial for those in Guelph that want to stay informed but do not want to watch lengthy Council Meetings. He adds splashes of humour, too, which is tough to do well but definitely appreciated when managed appropriately. Norfolk County Deputy Mayor Amy Martin updates her constituents regularly, and interacts intelligently with others online. Some politicians do a fine job at highlighting local issues. Via Twitter, Kelly Elliott, Deputy Mayor of Thames Centre, updates about the effects of COVID-19 on women in the workforce, and Jesse Helmer, City Councillor in London, posts about local infrastructure for bike lanes. Both do a really good job of adding regular posts that are pertinent to their constituents. St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston provides regular updates on Facebook through interviews with one of the local media outlets.
Although social media has been the most common and the easiest tool to use while respecting public health guidelines, some politicians have also taken other steps to promote their positions. Many have set up tables in parks while wearing masks, or had their constituency phone lines and emails open for questions. Wait-times for responses have been very long though, which is understandable due to the large influx of questions about COVID-19. Some have run virtual meetings, town halls, or roundtables for the public to attend and ask questions. For the politicians who do not have much of a social media presence, how are they managing to connect with voters? Politics involves a lot of hand-shaking, hugs, and conversations usually arranged up-close with individuals, but for a crowd to see. This sort of intimacy is not really possible right now.
Savvy politicians understand that, while teenagers may not currently be the key demographic for campaigning or governing, it is still important to speak to us about political topics and voting. Eventually, we will be the voters, and it is important that we understand the political process as well as where each party and candidate stand on the issues.
Youth Councils are an accessible way for residents aged 14-24 to be actively involved with the political process. Youth Councils are run by many MPs and MPPs as a way for youth to be politically involved and for these politicians to seek feedback from a younger audience. Normally, this would be the time of year for Youth Councils to take applications, but most are currently paused due to COVID-19. Hopefully MPs and MPPs will be able to organize virtual Youth Councils soon! This is an example, though, of how politicians are starting to feel a bit remote during the pandemic. Exhaustion may be setting in and some activities will get pushed to the margins.
Municipally, London City Council meetings can be seen every other week live on the London City Council YouTube page. Members of Provincial Parliament returned to Queen’s Park in Toronto on September 14th, and federally, some Members of Parliament have returned to the House of Commons. Both provincial and federal legislative processes can be live-streamed. The provincial legislature can be found on the OLA (Ontario Legislature Assembly) website or on their YouTube channel, and live federal legislation can be found on CPAC or ParlVU. Still, less people are going to attend meetings in-person during the pandemic, and school groups will not be visiting to learn about the political process.
How will politicians stay connected to people? Social media is not the answer to everything, and interacting closely with the community is, in my opinion, still the best way for politicians to campaign or govern. This is proving to be extremely hard to manage during the pandemic.
As COVID-19 cases surge again, we find politicians trying to communicate the importance of physical distancing, quarantining, and interacting with as few people as possible. Have people started to tune out? Consider Thanksgiving weekend in Ontario … what percentage of the population listened and followed the guidance from Premier Doug Ford to gather only with members of the same household? Will people become harder to govern the longer the pandemic continues? If so, is this a reflection of the lack of in-person interaction between our elected leaders and the general public? Government by virtual meetings and social media may be convenient, but have we lost a vital part of any good political communications strategy?
The pandemic has separated people physically. It is encouraging to see that many politicians are doing the best they can to continue to work virtually or in-person while respecting public health guidelines. Are the people still listening?
