CBC News GM and EIC Jennifer McGuire says the pubcaster has hit an engagement goldmine with Vote Compass, a new interactive tool developed by University of Toronto students.

Vote Compass allows users to answer a series of personal questions to help them decide which party and leader aligns most with their views in anticipation of the federal election on May 2.

The tool has beat original expectations, receiving over 500,000 hits since the election was called last week and before a targeted paid print campaign to promote it even launched, McGuire tells MiC.

‘Vote Compass is an idea that has been tried in Europe and the US,’ she says. ‘We heard about it through the University of Toronto and decided it was a good fit for the CBC because it is about engaging people and the process of democracy in a real, fact-based way.’

Vote Compass is being promoted across CBC’s platforms, says Nancy Boyle, director of communications and marketing, CBC English markets.

‘It’s important for us to use our own channels for promotion first and foremost,’ she says. It is also being advertised in national newspapers and through social media.