$ 1 million for a software to electoral

Photo Agence QMI, Simon Clark

Annabelle Blais and
Alexandre Robillard

Wednesday, October 4, 2017 00:30

UPDATE
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 00:30

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The CAQ has paid for a new computer system which cost “in the seven figures” to help him win the by-election Monday in the riding of Louis-Hébert, discovered our Bureau of investigation.

The president of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), Stéphane Le Bouyonnec, admits that after the candidates, this new software is ” the secret weapon “, ” the secret of the caramel in the Caramilk “.

“This has been the most significant expense of the party in recent years,” he said in the interview. In the organization, it is the cornerstone of our organizational strategy. “

The “Coaliste” is a web-based application developed in recent years by the CAQ, which will also be used at the general election of 2018. Its design cost is not part of the election expenses.

It centralizes various information about the voters for the organizers and activists caquistes, which can identify supporters in the elections.

“It allows us to adjust our message based on the information you have […] at the time of making calls or door-to-door,” adds Samuel Lemire, the outgoing president of the future of the CAQ, which has tested “Coaliste” in the partial Gouin before the real kick-off in Louis-Hébert.

Brigitte Legault, the head organizer for the CAQ, was already familiar with this type of software when it worked with the liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff.

“At the CAQ, we tried a few software with the numerous by-elections. And then with fixed date elections, it has given us the opportunity to work on the kind of tool that we wanted to “, she explains.

Photo courtesy

The software and the application “Coaliste” have been used for the first time in full performance during the by-election in Louis-Hébert, in the region of the Capitale-Nationale, won by the caquiste Geneviève Guilbault.

Photo courtesy

Product from quebec

The tool, which belongs to the CAQ, has been developed by a quebec company.

“We think that it is a development that is worth several million and that we were lucky to do it by pulling around a million,” said Mr. Bouyonnec.

According to the president of the CAQ, the software allows the formation to reduce its workforce needs.

“We don’t need as many activists for runner an election […] At least three or four times less than world. “

A ” machine “

The CAQ update on this new tool to deal with the Parti québécois (PQ) and the Quebec liberal Party (QLP), which also feature technology for their organization’s election.

“We felt with the tool, that we had a machine on the field who was not embarrassed by comparison to that of the liberals that we know much more organized, strong,” said Mr. Bouyonnec by reviewing the partial of Monday.

“It is also to compete with other parties who have 50 years behind the tie and have their system very well established,” continues Ms. Legault. We, our volunteers are scattered and it wasn’t raining either. “

In an ad hoc manner, the party can also hire telephone operators that will work directly from information in the software, she adds.

The PQ has not been able to encrypt its investments on the front of technology in election, but the spokesman Yanick Grégoire has said that a team of four employees develops computer-based tools.

“The goal is to find the best tools and adapt them to our software that we already have,” he says.

The PQ use to call robot to potential voters, and has an application that allows you to identify direct supporters from tablets or phones during operations of door-to-door.

The party harvesting the internet for information on supporters, which are then cross-checked with the data of the voters list to the public.

The LIBERALS refused to give details about their use of technology in election.

Functions and data of the “Coaliste”

• List of electors
• E-mails and cell of people who had supported the petitions or initiatives of the CAQ, or that went on its web site
• Score adapted to the voters
• The day of the vote, reminders to voters who have not gone to vote at the scheduled time
• Sending e-mails to members to political meetings or announcements
• Templates, pre-approved advertisements
• Follow-up fastest of the number of voters who voted