The Better Ballot Campaign asks people to run a positive, issues-based campaign

The made-in-Guelph Better Ballot Campaign hopes it has made this election a little more civil.

Just under half of the 67 people running for either city council or the two school board in the Oct. 22 election have registered with the campaign, which asks candidates to run positive, issue-focused campaigns and refrain from personal attacks.

As of noon Thursday, 17 of the 37 people running for council and 12 of the 30 running for the two school boards had registered.

Their names, along with the 132 voters who have also signed up, can be found here.

The campaign’s Sharon Lewis said that all candidates that provided contact information on the city election registration page (only two of the 67 didn’t provide emails) were contacted and informed about the campaign.

Asked why some chose not to register, Lewis said some said it was just their personal policy not to sign things.

“We’re not hounding people,” Lewis said, it was a voluntary sign up and voluntary self-policing after the fact, although the campaign does do a bit of education around the pledge.

The volunteers behind the campaign have noticed a few things on social media by constituents, but haven’t noticed much in the local campaigns, she said.

“Most of what I’ve seen has been civil,” Lewis said, referring to those running.

“We’re not monitoring activity. People seem to send us a few things once in a while, but we’re not monitoring. It’s a promise to yourself.

“We would hope that the candidates for certain would adhere to it if they’ve signed up.”

The Bettor Ballot Campaign grew largely out of the Women’s Campaign School that was held earlier this summer, a workshop aimed at getting more women involved in the local political field.

One of the concerns expressed several times at that workshop was the fear of being personally attacked, particularly through social media.

“It’s understandable that would be one of the concerns people have. You are making yourself quite vulnerable” when you run for office, Lewis said.

“That’s what the campaign is designed to look at. Is it civil?

“I think the time is right to make a promise to constituents,” she said.

“We’re not seeing it as our job to address it, we’re seeing our job as to draw attention to the fact that it occurs. We’re not actively trying to address this … we’re just hoping to point to the issue and say ‘civil discourse dictates requires us to engage civilly.’”

The campaign is still looking to sign up candidates and constituents and Lewis said other municipalities have inquired about the Guelph initiative.

The Bettor Ballot Campaign pledge reads:

“As a candidate in the 2018 Guelph municipal election I am responsible for the administration of my campaign and the conduct of those associated with it. I believe that everyone in the community benefits from campaigns based on civility and respect. Therefore, I affirm that I will: