Turns armchair politicos into amateur campaign strategists for the 40^th provincial election in BC

VANCOUVER, BC April 11, 2013 – Good news for BC voters who can’t wait to get to the polls—Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ interactive online election predictor has returned! Available at predictor.hkstrategies.ca, the predictor makes it easy for political junkies of all stripes see how potential changes in popular support might translate into wins and losses on election night, all from the comfort of their computer or mobile device

A mainstay of elections across Canada in recent years, the popular predictor is back in lots of time for the upcoming British Columbia (BC) general election, scheduled for May 14, 2013.

“Our election predictor has become a hugely popular tool for thousands of political observers across Canada,” says Sarah Weddell, vice-president and group leader, public affairs BC.  “The upcoming BC election could have major impacts on ridings across the province and our predictor can help show how different swings in voter support will affect outcomes on May 14^th.”

Hill+Knowlton first introduced the predictor in 2004 and it has since become a widely-used forecasting tool in various provincial and federal elections. This year, it includes downloadable apps for the iPhone (iOS 5+ or higher), Blackberry (OS 6+ and higher) and Android devices (OS 4+ and higher). It is also compatible with tablets such as the iPad.

“Our predictor uses interactive technology to engage people and educate them about what’s happening in the election,” says Steve Vander Wal, vice-president, public affairs BC.  “While the tool is primarily positioned to be a fun, interactive predictor of election results, it can also help to gauge eventual seat counts.”

Election results can be predicted right down to the riding level. The predictor uses a mathematical formula based on the concept of proportional shift to generate seat predictions. Proportional shift generates new seat counts by taking each party’s percentage of the 2009 popular vote and shifts those percentages based on current polling data. These new percentages are then compared to the 2009 election results and differences are allocated proportionally on a riding by riding basis.

Participants can weigh outcomes using split or swing predictions and share their predictions with friends via Twitter and Facebook.

The predictor will be available until BC Election Day, May 14, 2013. Follow @hk_canada on Twitter or on Facebook for real-time results and updates.

About Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada

With nine offices across the country, Hill+Knowlton Strategies is a leader in both public relations and public affairs. The company is the No. 1-rated strategic communications firm in Canada. It specializes in corporate communications, public affairs, marketing communications, crisis, energy, technology, health care, digital communications, financial communications and transactions. The only communications firm to have earned the Order of Excellence from Excellence Canada, it is also recognized as one of the 2012 Best Workplaces in Canada. Its parent company, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Inc., has 89 offices in 52 countries as well as an extensive associate network and is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups.