Undergraduate Partnered Research Programme

The Undergraduate Partnered Research Programme is a directed study programme for ten competitively selected undergraduate students from across Canada. The students undertake advanced study on democratic life and conduct a small research project in collaboration with a partner organization. Students are not paid as part of this programme, but receive course credit at their university. Past students have gone on to graduate studies and work in the governmental and non-governmental sector, with an enhanced appreciation for research-based practice and policy-making. 

Applications Open for 2026-2027 Cohort

Student Commitment:

·       Students are required to work with organizers to find an appropriate method to achieve a course credit for the work done in this programme. Normally a directed studies course or internship credit can be provided through their home university.

·       Students must attend seminars, group and individual check-ins, or partner meetings 2-3 times a month from September – April.

·       Students must produce a research report for their partner organization no later than April 1, 2027.

Requirements to apply:

·       Be enrolled as an undergraduate student in the 2026-2027 academic year at any Canadian university.

·       Have successfully taken, at minimum, a basic introductory methodology course that allows students to independently conduct basic descriptive statistical analysis.

·       Provide evidence of self-motivated learning.

·       Members of equity-deserving groups are encouraged to apply.

Applications can be made online: https://forms.gle/ATrohKHCBuGArphw5

Please include a cover letter indicating why you are a good fit for this programme, and a current CV. Applications will be considered starting on June 10, 2026, and will be considered on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Other questions can be directed to Dr. Holly Ann Garnett (garnett@rmc.ca)

Programme Sponsors: 

• Consortium on Electoral Democracy

• Royal Military College of Canada Class of 1965 Professorship in Leadership

• Queen’s University Institute for Intergovernmental Relations

• Political Accountability, Transparency, and Representation Oversight Network (PATRON) - Réseau d'observation, de transparence, et d’imputabilité Politique (ROTIP) project.

2025-2026

2024-2025

These projects were prepared as part of the Undergraduate Partnered Research Programme. The reports and posters reflect the findings and opinions of the student author. The scope of the partner or collaborator's participation included: assisting the student in identifying a relevant research question, providing context and answering background questions, and giving feedback on drafts. Only publicly available datasets were used for these projects – no individual or personal data was provided by the partners unless otherwise indicated in the report. Reports and partner names that we have permission to share publicly are linked below. We are grateful to our partners and collaborators for their assistance.

Students:

• Amal Hassan (University of Ottawa) "The Reality of Blowing the Whistle in Canada" See Poster here. 

• Hannah Montreuil (University of New Brunswick) "Lost in the System: What Youth do not Understand about Elections.” Prepared for Apathy is Boring. See Poster here. 

• Hannah Leung (University of Ottawa), "Municipal Political Parties and Their Impact on Democracy" Prepared for Calgary Elections Office. See Poster here.

• Jessie Kaiser (Queen's University) "An Overview of the Potential Gaps in Compensation Packages provided to Federal Elected Officials in Canada" Prepared for Equal Voice. 

• Kennedy Bond (Nipissing University), "Misinformation in the Electoral Process: A Cross-Canada Policy Review and Reform Strategy", Prepared for Elections Ontario See poster here.

• Nolan Skolski (Royal Military College) "Perceptions of Voting Technologies: A Study of Trust in British Columbia’s 2024 Provincial Election" Prepared for Elections British Columbia. See Poster here.

• Oliver Batchilder (Mount Allison University), "Non-State Cyber Threat Activity in Canada", Prepared for the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity See Poster here. 

• Shanzae Zaeem (University of Western Ontario) "The Dynamics of Urdu, Persian, and Arabic Ethnic Media Sources in Canada"

• Yara Idris (University of Ottawa) "Are Canadians Losing Democratic Faith? How Perceptions of Foreign Election Interference Impact Public Trust in Canadian Elections" See poster here.

Faculty supervisors at the participants' home universities:

• Dr. Daniel Stockemer (University of Ottawa)

• Dr. Joanna Marie Everitt (University of New Brunswick)

• Dr. Elizabeth Baisley (Queen's University)

• Dr. Toivo Koivukoski (Nipissing University)

• Dr. Laura Stephenson (University of Western Ontario)

• Dr. Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College)

• Dr. Thomas Hughes (Mount Allison University)

Co-Instructors: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College) & Valere Gaspard (University of Ottawa)

Programme Sponsors: 

• Consortium on Electoral Democracy

• Royal Military College of Canada Class of 1965 Professorship in Leadership

• Queen’s University Institute for Intergovernmental Relations

• Human-Centric Cyber-Security Network

2023-2024

Students and Projects:

• Angélique Busanga (University of Ottawa), "Pathways of Decolonization in Elections Administration of the North", See poster

• OCdt  Ellie Hwang (Royal Military College), "Youth Political Participation" Prepared for CIVIX

• OCdt Matthew Howell (Royal Military College), "Insecurity and the Effects on Democratic Development in West Africa", Prepared for the Canadian Parliamentary Centre

• Katherine Li (University of Calgary), "Strengthening Alberta Youth Engagement in the Electoral Process"

• Luis Sanchez-Diaz (University of Calgary), "A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Political Polls" Prepared for Elections Ontario, See poster

• Marguerite Lefebvre (University of Ottawa), "Internet Voting: A Cross-Jurisdictional Review", See poster

• Sonya Pallapothu (McGill University), "Who's Voting in BC? A District-Level Analysis of Turnout and Voting Behaviour" Prepared for Elections British Columbia, See poster

• NCdt Richard Sun (Royal Military College), "The Portrayal of the 2021 Canadian Federal Election in Chinese-Language Media", See poster

• George Cooper Leger (Nipissing University), "How much does it cost to run as a candidate in Canada?" Prepared for Samara Centre for Democracy

• Rachel Moss (University of Ottawa), "Egalitarianism in Campaign Finance Regulations: Barriers to youth in Canadian politics" Prepared for Apathy is Boring, See poster

Co-Instructors: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College) & Valere Gaspard (University of Ottawa)

Faculty supervisors at the participants' home universities: 

• Lisa Young (University of Calgary)

• Toivo Koivukoski (Nipissing University)

• Aaron Erlich (McGill University)

• Daniel Stockemer (University of Ottawa)

Programme Sponsors: 

• Consortium on Electoral Democracy

• Royal Military College of Canada Class of 1965 Professorship in Leadership

• Queen’s University Institute for Intergovernmental Relations

2022-2023

Students and Projects:

• OCdt Jieun Lee (Royal Military College) "From Twitter to the Ballot Box: Social Media and Public Perceptions of Electoral Management in Ontario", Prepared for Elections Ontario, with Madison MacGregor and Sofia Caal-Lam

Instructor: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College)

2021-2022

Students and Projects:

• OCdt Jieun Lee (Royal Military College) "Public Opinion on Lowering the Voting Age to 16", Prepared for Apathy is Boring, See poster

• OCdt Teresa Quadros (Royal Military College) "Accessibility of Electoral Information for Voters", Prepared for Elections Ontario, See poster

• OCdt Edward Leibel (Royal Military College) "Electoral Management and Voter Trust", Prepared for Elections Ontario

• OCdt Jordan Wityszyn (Royal Military College) "Participation of Ethnic Minorities in Canadian Politics" Prepared for Samara Centre for Democracy

• OCdt Nora Bright (Royal Military College) "Youth Participation in Politics" Prepared for Glocal. 

Instructor: Holly Ann Garnett (Royal Military College)