“I applaud what you’re doing with DemocracyKit and with open democracy tools… Getting involved in politics matters, and that’s why the kind of work you’re doing - marrying technology with activism with electoral politics is really, really important.”
— Mayor Naheed Nenshi, City of Calgary
“DemocracyKit has the power to disrupt politics-as-usual by bringing more people into the local political process... It promises to help local campaigns more quickly build the great organization, training and tools it takes to be effective at engagement.”
— Jane Hilderman, Executive Director, Samara Canada
“DemocracyKit is a much-needed resource for municipal candidates and their campaign teams. Sharing best practices and transferring knowledge from campaign to campaign will make for better campaigns that reach more voters.”
— Councillor Jesse Helmer, Ward 4 City of London, Ontario
“DemocracyKit is one of the great tools that helps us move forward in this pursuit of greater engagement and participation from Canadians.”
— Caro Loutfi, Executive Director, Apathy is Boring
“DemocracyKit embodies the values of civic technology: open and collaborative resources for our communities, grounded in the values of civic engagement, equal opportunity, alongside and through technology.”
— Dan Monafu, Founder, Ottawa Civic Tech
“DemocracyKit is backed by a team that cuts across party lines, with the practical campaign and community organizing experience needed for the job. Importantly, DemocracyKit is citizen-driven and is being built from the ground up.”
—Olivia Chow, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Ryerson University, and Founder, Institute for Change Leaders, changeleaders.ca
“Setting up and running a successful campaign requires technical skills and extensive resources. That's why DemocracyKit is so important. It will make elections not only accessible, but winnable for aspiring politicians of all stripes.”
—Councillor Joe Cressy, Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina, City of Toronto
“As DemocracyKit's research has shown, there is a tremendous need to increase diversity among the ranks of elected representatives at the municipal level across Canada. I strongly support DemocracyKit's goal of making campaign tools more accessible to individuals who are interested in running for office and who may not have the necessary campaign experience and resources to be successful.”
—Councillor Catherine McKenney, Somerset Ward, City of Ottawa
“What DemocracyKit offers is an evolving resource that can inspire more participation in our elections. I look forward to witnessing a new class of local campaign that succeeds because DemocracyKit was there to support them along the way."
—Ryan Baillargeon, CEO & Founder, Grassriots
“Synapcity believes that people care deeply about where they live, but don't always know where to get informed or how to find others that share their passion. DemocracyKit seeks to equalize democratic participation, offering a new tool for people entering the political arena to connect and communicate. Ottawa is big, busy and beautiful. It’s stable, diverse and prosperous. It’s one of the best places anywhere in the world to live, work and raise a family. It's exciting to bring a new tool to create more equity and opportunity in Ottawa's civic landscape.”
—Laine Johnson, Program Director, Synapcity
“Tools like the DemocracyKit will level the playing field for first-time politicians, so they can spend less time learning how to campaign, and more time engaging meaningfully with one another and citizens to craft the best policies, laws and programs for our communities.”
—Mark Coffin, Executive Director and Founder, Springtide Collective
"DemocracyKit aims to provide individuals interested in running for public office with a reliable resource for campaign support. By providing access to shared resources and knowledge of campaign essentials, DemocracyKit can help give citizens interested in the political process the confidence to run."
—Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa
"What a welcome addition to our collective effort to increase the diversity of elected officials at the municipal level. This is of huge importance as the argument for greater power going to municipalities is linked to their ability to show that they represent the Canada of today and even more the Canada of twenty years from now. We cannot have too many tool kits and guides of all kinds for people who may be thinking of running for municipal office – or even worse, may not yet have thought of running."
-- Caroline Andrew, Centre of Governance, University of Ottawa
“At Women Win Toronto we are preparing women from diverse communities to run for city council or school board trustee. For most participants this will be their first campaign. Open Democracy Project presentation and online resources are engaging and practical. DemocracyKit allows candidates and their teams to learn how to apply the many moving pieces necessary to run strong campaigns and focus on their particular needs. Learning how to run a municipal campaign is no longer only passed on from one person to the next but can now be accessed online by the many talented, active community builders that we need to run our city.”
— Hema Vyas, Co-Founder, Women Win Toronto
