Getting out the vote in Waterloo Region

To help you get the most bang for your buck, I talk a lot about cost-effective solutions online and social media. But don’t discount the ability of more traditional forms of communications such as print to make an impact.

A case in point is a pro-bono campaign I created for WaterlooRegionVotes.ca.

The purpose of this website is to increase voter turnout in the municipal elections. It is part of the efforts of a loose coalition of groups and individuals coordinated by Opportunities Waterloo Region interested in social justice issues including the elimination of poverty. Since low income areas historically have the lowest turnout rates, special attention is being paid to them but with an average voter turnout of 27% in 2006, the campaign is aimed at all voters. A second objective of the coalition is that social justice issues relevant to the municipal election are part of the debate leading up to October 25.

It may seem counterintuitive to drive low income voters to a website but in the experience of the staff of Opportunities Waterloo Region nearly everyone has access to the internet if they want it. If they do no have it at home but they use public access sites such as libraries or get access at other programs or services they use. Driving folks to a website is then more cost effective than trying to provide them with all the information they need to know or might want to know on paper.

Why vote?

I created two pieces to support the voter turnout portion of the effort. The first is a two-sided card. The one side is like a mini poster while the flip side helps to connect the vote to their lives. Without taking a position on any of the issues, the card helps people see that local government and school boards affect their lives in ways that they care about. Many of the examples are taken from issues that have lead people to go to council meetings or write letters to the editor.

Concerned about decisions:

• on parks and recreation facilities?
• on school boundaries or closures?
• about public transit or crime prevention?

The message is clear: Vote if you want your voice to be heard through the people being elected.

Ten thousand cards are being distributed door to door and through a variety of other distribution channels so that they go directly into the hands of those who statistics show are the least likely to vote. Recipients are encouraged to go the WaterlooRegionVotes.ca website which is a one-stop shop for information for anyone in Waterloo Region about voting and why it is important.

MISSING! Your voice at City Hall

A second piece is a poster that looks like someone scrawled it in their basement just as they would for a lost dog. Maybe because that pretty much sums up how I created it. But after grabbing the passerby’s attention, you realize that what’s “MISSING!” is your voice at City Hall. The theory is that this guerilla-marketing style poster will grab the attention of more of the target audience’s attention than a slick, pretty poster. Very simple text is used-just enough to get someone to pull off one of the contact tabs and check out the website.

There are several other benefits:

• It can be printed in-house eliminating external printing costs.
• It can be printed on demand.
• It is easily customizable for each of the cities by simply switching the photo used.

Will these pieces work?

Time will tell but for now I can conclude that they are low-cost solutions that hold the promise of having as much if not more impact of more expensive options.