The winner-loser gap and support for remote voting methods – evidence from Canadian municipal elections

Election outcomes are known to affect satisfaction with democracy, such that supporters of “losing” candidates experience a decline in democratic satisfaction relative to those who vote for “winners.” At the same time, the American experience of politicization of mail voting in the 2020 U.S presidential election suggests that electoral losers may seek to delegitimize voting methods that they view as contributing to their loss. Drawing on an original survey of electors (N = 1,212), this paper explores whether the winner-loser gap leads some voters to question the voting methods used in the 2024 Nova Scotia municipal elections. More specifically, it examines whether voters who supported losing candidates express lower levels of support for untraditional, remote voting options (telephone and internet voting). Data reveal that, as a whole, Nova Scotians are relatively supportive of the use of remote voting methods. Mayoral vote choice (but not council vote choice) affects satisfaction with democracy, as well as support for internet voting (but not paper or telephone voting). The results extend the literature on the winner-loser gap and provide new policy-relevant insights into the sources of support for remote voting methods.