Digital - Tuesday, October 14, 2008 18:32 - 3 Comments

Canada election results leak out on Twitter

Despite a media blackout until the polls close in Western Canada, results from Atlantic Canada are appearing on Twitter.

With an hour still to go before the polls closed in British Columbia, people were reporting the results in Atlantic Canada.

A search of Twitter showed a great deal of discussion around the results. At least one reporter, Matthew Ingram of the Globe and Mail, went as far as tweeting that:

I’m going to willingly violate Canada’s election law and let you know that early results show the “keep everything the same” party winning 

Much of the early tweets reported on the defeat of Green Party leader Elizabeth May by the incumbent Peter MacKey.

Some went as far as posting the results on a blog and updating them as Quebec results came through.

The online activity reflects how Canada’s election law, which bans the media from reporting the results until polls across the country have closed, is an outdated piece of legislation.

The Canada Elections Act bans the publication of voting results until all federal polls close on election night.

A spokesperson for Elections Canada told CBCNews.ca: “Elections Canada wishes to make sure the voter who has not yet cast their ballot is not influenced by a voter who has already cast their ballot.”