While not common, an advanced poll set up for members of a local young entrepreneurs group event is completely above board, says Thunder Bay’s city clerk.
John Hannam said his office was approached by SHIFT leadership, who say they are attempting to convince younger voters to head to the poll.
The idea to hold an advanced voting poll at an upcoming SHIFT event might be a bit out of the ordinary and unprecedented, but Hannam said he viewed it as a way to get more people to vote, particularly in a younger demographic that more often than not tends to not exercise its democratic right.
“They asked if we could conduct a poll. It hadn’t been an idea that had occurred to us, to work with a specific organization to do that, but there’s no reason that we can’t,” Hannam said.
“So on Oct. 20, during a SHIFT event, we will be conducting advanced voting that evening at Mariner’s Hall.”
Hannam stressed all eligible voters are welcome to stop by and cast a ballot, that it’s not strictly for the under-40 crowd.
He said his main concern was whether or not the special advanced poll – one of several being staged ahead of the Oct. 27 municipal election – was going to draw enough voters out to make it worth the city’s while.
The logistics of setting up were also a concern.
“Like some of the other work that we do, is about raising the profile of the election and awareness, and not necessarily getting hundreds of voters at a particular location,” Hannam said, pointing to the voting van.
“Some of the locations may only get 30, 40 or 50 voters, given the size of the building population.”
SHIFT president Peter Marchl said the idea of a two-hour, after-work polling station was nothing more than their desire to see more young people vote.
“People can come in, cycle through, mingle, vote and then take off and do what they need to do for the rest of the night,” he said.
There will be no politicking before or during the event, he added.
“We’re completely third-party. We’re not encouraging anyone to vote for any particular candidate. That’s not SHIFT’s mandate.”
That doesn’t mean Marchl doesn’t want candidates that reflect his own life situation.
“I want candidates that represent myself and young professionals. We have certain desires and goals that we have for the city that might be different from different demographics. That’s why we want to encourage young professionals to get out and vote.”
The poll struck a nerve with at least one mayoral candidate, who questioned the appropriateness of the situation.
“I think this is completely untoward,” said Shane Judge in an email to tbnewswatch.com. “Can any group get an advanced poll?”
Neither Mayor Keith Hobbs nor mayoral candidate Ken Boshcoff were opposed the idea, as reported elsewhere.
Hannam said groups requesting advanced polls would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The SHIFT polls begins at 5 p.m. and closes at 7 p.m.
