Advanced voting at city hall felt festive Wednesday as Get Your Vote On enticed voters to enter a silver 1972 Streamline trailer, don wigs and decorated hats and pose with a speech bubble that read "I voted today!"
Voters who posed in the VOTObooth were emailed their photos so they could share them online and encourage others to vote in the civic election Nov. 19.
Wendy Niamath was the first to stop for a photo. The 40-year-old said she's cast a ballot in every election since she reached voting age.
"It's important," she said. "Every vote counts. And if you don't say anything then you can't blame anyone else for crap that happens. You have to take responsibility, right?"
For voters aged 18 to 35 years who are indifferent to the ballot box, the non-partisan Get Your Vote On strives to spark their imagination about why voting isn't a waste of their time. The non-profit also provides opportunities for young voters to connect with politicians.
Get Your Vote On coordinator Andrea Curtis said she was shocked to learn that in parts of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»where her friends live voter turnout is lower than 20 per cent. "I have a lot of friends who follow global politics but they have no idea who their mayor and council are," the 29-yearold said. "We lose perspective for what we're actually able to change and where we're actually able to affect movement in our own lives, in our own worlds, in our own cities. And right here, in the civic election, we have the capacity because we're in a smaller demographic, in a smaller group, to create a very big change that's going to affect our lives and how we live and act as leaders in our community."
The VOTObooth, presented by Tin Can Studio, which uses its trailer to draw attention to issues that include the need for more affordable artist studio space in the city, provided voters with props relating to concerns held by the city's younger residents. These concerns include bike infrastructure and zoning as it relates to liquor laws, urban agriculture and a lack of art and cultural spaces.
Get Your Vote On coordinator Adrian Sinclair notes the lack of affordable housing in the city particularly frustrates younger voters who typically have less money.
Get Your Vote On is polling youth about their greatest concerns in advance of the Caucus Cabaret and Candidates Debate at The Biltmore Cabaret, Nov. 14. Before the debate, candidates from Vision Vancouver, COPE and the NPA will circulate among the cabaret's booths to face questions from individual voters.
"Everybody wants to speed date the politicians," Curtis said.
Tandem bikes will deliver voters to the polls, Nov. 19, courtesy of Get Your Vote On and Riding4Ridings and the VOTObooth will roam the city. Stickers at coffee shops will remind the caffeinated masses to read up and cast their votes, partly by providing the hashtag that marks municipal election-related tweets on Twitter.
Get Your Vote On has been working since 2004 to engage younger voters in municipal, provincial and federal elections. The organization reports that in 2005, Get Your Vote On registered more than 20,000 first-time voters through a combination of street outreach, voter hubs, concerts and events across the province, contributing to the first increase in youth voter turnout since the 1970s.
For more information, see getyourvoteon.ca or Vancouver.ca.
[email protected] Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
