McMaster pairs therapy dogs, paid student canvassing and CIVDEM research to boost youth turnout (Oct 2026)
McMaster’s Dogs for Democracy combined therapy dogs with student canvassers to promote voting. The effort is part of a CIVDEM research project and provides roughly 1,000 hours of paid student work tied to the Oct. 2026 municipal election.
McMaster hosted Dogs for Democracy, bringing therapy dogs to campus alongside student canvassers hired to encourage voting and gather voter‑experience data. The initiative, in partnership with New Majority and the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, supports research led by Prof. Karen Bird within the Interdisciplinary Minor in Civic Vitality, Democracy and Electoral Management (CIVDEM). Students ran surveys at a special ballot‑on‑demand poll on Oct. 2 and at advance polls ahead of the municipal election on Oct. 26, 2026. In total, the project provides roughly 1,000 hours of paid voter‑engagement work for McMaster students.