Non-partisan group wants to hear your election concerns
Posted March 3, 2014 8:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PORT COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – The next Federal Election may be more than a year away, but a group of concerned citizens are already taking action to get you to the polls. Non-partisan group Lead Now is holding meetings across the country this week in an effort to combat voter apathy.
Lead Now is hoping to hear from people who traditionally don’t cast a ballot on what issues they want to see addressed in the November 2015 election, be it environmental, financial, economic or otherwise.
Orgainzer for the Port Coquitlam meeting Amy Lubik says part of the reason they rolled out the grassroots movement so early is concern over the Fair Elections Act being pushed through parliament.
“I think it’s going to make it very hard for a lot of people who would like to vote, to vote, and we’re already seeing lower turnouts of older people and students who might not have the right kind of IDs that are necessary if they take away the vouching system,” says Lubik.
The Fair Elections Act, which makes it mandatory for voters to present government issued ID, also would prevent ads promoting voting.
“There are a lot of people who are getting kind of frustrated with our electoral system and the way government is going, not seeming to be listening to people very much. So we want to get people together and find out what they really want, and how they feel about how Canada’s going,” says Lubik, adding while it may seem like the next election is quite far away, 2015 is right around the corner.
The next meetings in the Lower Mainland will be at the Ukranian Orthodox Centre in Vancouver Thursday at 7pm, and at Wilson Centre in Port Coquitlam Saturday at 1:30pm.
