Staff at two Banff businesses are taking the initiative and getting out in the Bow Valley to not only encourage youth workers in the area to vote, but helping them register as well.
The Juniper Hotel and Wild Flour Bakery have launched a Let’s Rock the Vote campaign to raise voter turnout in the valley and mobilize youth to vote.
Let’s Rock the Vote coordinator Jacob Pasacki said the Fair Elections Act has had a big effect on Banff voters and it is in the best interest of the community that everything is done to increase voter turnout.
“Every vote matters and we want to encourage people to vote, not just in this election, but future elections as well,” he said. “We thought it was a good idea to start this campaign and get people out to vote and registered to vote.”
Changes that resulted from the legislation include the fact that voters not only have to prove who they are, but also have to prove where they live, either with government-issued photo ID, or two other pieces of ID, including one with an address.
This effects Banff voters, as many Banffites have drivers licences that do not have a home address, but a post office box instead and Banff is home to a large population of new and youth voters. These groups consistently display the lowest turnout and the concern is that tougher rules will only further impede voter turnout for this demographic.
Pasacki said with the upcoming events, Let’s Rock the Vote hopes to mitigate those impacts as much as it can.
On Thursday (Oct. 8), he said they will be in Canmore at Tavern 1883 for open mic night from 10:30 p.m. onward. While listening to local acts, people can register to vote and a special prize will be awarded to the performer with the best rendition of an election song.
On Friday (Oct. 9), there will be a special edition of the Wild Flour Bakery Power Hour from 7-8 p.m. at the Old Crag Cabin. There will be local performers, musicians and artists on hand and they will present what it means to them to be Canadian in what is dubbed the Canadiana Soirée. Admission is free and the event is non-partisan, but Pasacki said people will be available to answer questions and help register voters.
“This is totally non-partisan,” he said. “We are not trying to encourage people (how to vote), we want people to have the ability to vote on election day.”
While the Old Crag Cabin is Liberal Candidate Marlo Raynold’s campaign headquarters in Banff, Pasacki said its doors are open to help all voters register regardless of their political affiliation.
