A new website has been set up to help voters keep track of where the candidates of the upcoming Nov. 19 civic election stand.
Launched by the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Public Space Network (VPSN) as an impartial information source for all things civic election-related, the Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Votes website (vancouvervotes.ca) is meant to help undecided voters make up their minds by showcasing all the candidates running for mayor and city council and highlighting where they stand on a variety of issues.
The site will provide general information on the election and will be regularly updated with links to election-related media coverage. "It is all about responsible discourse," VPSN spokesperson Anthony Hamilton told the Courier over the phone on Wednesday. "Unfortunately during elections, the discourse gets ramped up and becomes very partisan. Often times it can be hard to find the facts you need to make the most informed decision possible, so our goal with the website is to support responsible dialogue and debate about the issues the city is facing and will have to be handled by our elected officials over the next three years."
Hamilton said a wide variety of questions will be sent out to candidates in the coming days.
Their responses will be posted on the site. The grassroots network, which specialize in advocacy, outreach and education on the use of public space in Vancouver, is also hosting a special "Last Candidate Standing" event at an asyet undetermined location Oct. 29.
Unlike traditional debates that generally include only the front-runners, all council candidates will be invited to field questions, thereby levelling the playing field and giving fringe party candidates and independents an opportunity to debate the higher-profile Vision Vancouver, NPA, COPE and Green Party candidates.
"The goal is for it to be a forum for all candidates, not just the candidates who are represented by the main parties," Hamilton said. "It'll be done in rounds, so instead of just having candidates debate for the entire length of the session, the audience will get to provide feedback pretty much instantaneously. Eventually the audience will vote out candidates until there is only one left, kind of like Survivor meets a municipal debate. Unlike traditional debates that feature three or four contestants, Last Candidate Standing is designed to include every mayoral and council candidate running for office."
The event will also feature live music and performance artists taking to the stage between rounds.
Hamilton said he hopes none of the front-running candidates will shy away from attending and stressed that the VPSN is not affiliated with any of the parties running in the election. "We're non-partisan, but not Non-Partisan or any of the others."
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