On federal election night, Arts & Science political science students traded the classroom for the newsroom — joining the Global News Decision Canada desk to help project race results during the live national broadcast.
This hands-on learning experience was a first-time collaboration between Global News and U of T professor Semra Sevi, who researches elections and voting in Canada.
“Students had the unique opportunity to work side-by-side with producers, applying classroom knowledge in a high-stakes, real-world setting,” says Sevi, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts & Science.
“I can’t think of a more exciting place to be on election night than behind-the-scenes in the newsroom, helping call results and shape live coverage of such a historic moment. They were absolutely thrilled to be involved.”
Students analyzed vote counts, tracked ridings and contributed to real-time decision-making, identifying winners based on incoming results. Some moments called for shouting above the newsroom din — announcing sudden flips or notable trends, sometimes earning a producer’s praise.
Political science major and member of St. Michael's College Lucas Sousa loved being a part of the storytelling behind election coverage.
“If we spotted a potential flip or a trend emerging about a notable candidate — like a longtime Conservative stronghold leaning Liberal, or Minister of Foreign Affairs and Liberal incumbent Mélanie Joly doing well in her race — we flagged it to the news team. Seeing that reflected live on TV was surreal,” he says.
To prepare for the fast pace of election night, Global and Sevi held two days of rehearsals to train students. Each student, working solo or in small teams, was responsible for monitoring around 30 ridings. They were paired with a producer to help flag any significant developments as the night unfolded.
The students had a say in what riding to monitor, with many choosing constituencies they were from or curious about. High-profile ridings were spread out among the group — such as Toronto–St. Paul’s, which flipped back to the Liberals after a surprise Conservative win in a previous byelection.
As in class, students raised their hands when they had potential ridings to call, and Sevi reviewed the data before giving them the greenlight to pass their updates on to the producers. Moments later, the station’s anchors would share those insights live on air.
Third-year political science major and member of Trinity College Zain Al Naji says watching polling data unfold helped her connect the dots between concepts she learned in Sevi’s Elections and Voting course, and how the candidates she’s familiar with will fare.
“People assume that women get fewer votes, but in class, we’ve learned that isn’t necessarily supported by historical data. NDP incumbent Niki Ashton, for example, has won the vote in her Manitoba riding for the past 17 years!” she says. “Though this election, it looked like she’d lose her seat to the Liberals’ Rebecca Chartrand — which was fascinating to follow in real time.”
For Hilmie, an international student from Malaysia who is graduating in June, the experience was a real-world education on Canada’s electoral process.
“It’s one thing to do the readings in class, and another to see how the election unfolds,” says Hilmie, a member of New College who took Sevi’s Experiments in Political Science course. “As a statistical sciences major, seeing how data translates into news coverage has been eye-opening.”
He enjoyed the thrill of such a fast-paced and consequential environment, where decisions have an immediate effect. “When you click the green ‘E’ for ‘Elected’ and see that pop up on live TV — it’s the most exciting feeling!”
As results continued to roll in past midnight, students were in the newsroom for some of the night’s most newsworthy moments, from Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre losing his Ottawa riding and Green Party candidate Elizabeth May winning her seat, to the NDP losing federal party status — and finally, Mark Carney officially being declared Canada’s prime minister.
The rush of being in the middle of the action and playing a meaningful role in the democratic process prompted students to reflect on post-graduation paths. Al Naji, who is minoring in Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations and Diaspora & Transnational Studies, says the opportunity broadened her career considerations.
“I’ve thought about international relations or diplomacy, but now I’ve come away with a lot of respect for media work. It takes a village to pull off a live news broadcast, working seamlessly to get it right and do it well under pressure.”
Sousa, who is graduating in June, says the experience solidified his dream of being a journalist.
“I worked at The Varsity, and now being in the Global newsroom, that environment is where I feel most like myself. It really feels like the start of something.”