City works to get the vote out
City of Thunder Bay officials will be using a variety of weapons in their war on voter apathy leading up to the Oct. 25 municipal elections.
Since Thunder Bay became a city in the 1970s, the turnout has traditionally been around 50 per cent of eligible voters.
That’s why city officials were disappointed in 2006 during the last municipal election when only 38 per cent of eligible voters participated.
That’s why an advertising campaign has been launched.
“We’d be happy to get participation back around 50 per cent,” City clerk John Hannam said in an interview.
The city is trying to encourage every eligible person to vote, but particularly young people and those of aboriginal descent.
“We’ve found in the last few elections that only six to eight per cent of eligible 18- to 30-years-olds participate,” said Hannam, who also serves as the city’s returning officer.
The city has planned to have voter registration booths set up at both Lakehead University and Confederation College leading up to the election, as well as voting booths on Oct. 25, to encourage young people to vote.
He said the city has gone to community centres to let aboriginal people know that they, too, can vote in the municipal election.
“As for aboriginal voters, we know anecdotally that there’s a general lack of understanding that they’re eligible to vote,” Hannam said.
Hannam says the city will spend $40,000 promoting the vote, about $25,000 more than would normally be spent to encourage voters to get out on election day.
“A lot of that is on the voter cards (that registered voters should have received by now). There’s a certain number of ads we always run,” Hannam said.
“In terms of new money, we’re probably spending an extra $25,000 that we didn’t previously, so we’ll see where that goes.”
That money is going toward radio and print ads, pamphlets and voter cards meant to encourage people to participate.
One innovation to get the vote out for advance polls and election day is a mobile voting van. The balloting station will be at various locations to make voting more accessible.
Another innovation that will make voting more accessible to those with disabilities is two new tabulation machines. The machines include a tactile keypad for the visually impaired, a sip and puff device for those who are quadriplegic, and two paddles for those who can only move their feet.
The accessible voting machines will be operating at the DaVinci Centre and Italian Cultural Centre on election day, Oct. 25.
They’ll also be at two of the advance polls, which take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at: Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre at 700 River St., on Oct. 12 and 13; West Thunder Community Centre at 915 S. Edward St., on Oct. 14 and 15. A third advance poll at Intercity Shopping Centre parking lot, on the corner of Memorial Avenue and Isabel Street, on Oct. 16 will not have the machines.
Another strategy to increase turnout will be the use of four so-called Super Polls that will accommodate voters who cannot get to their designated balloting station during polling hours on Oct. 25.
The polling stations at the Italian Cultural Centre, the DaVinci Centre, West Thunder Community Centre and Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre will serve voters from anywhere in the city as long as they bring their voter card and proper identification.
For more information, go to www.thunderbay.ca and click on the city government tab.