Group aims to boost voter turnout with mock polling station

A group in Dartmouth is trying to boost voter turnout by going back to basics.

On Wednesday morning, regular clients of the Dartmouth North Community Food Centre came in for a cup of coffee and some breakfast, but found that the dining room had been remodeled to look more like a polling station.

Volunteers then showed people everything from how to mark a ballot to how to register for the October federal election.

"We're demystifying the process," said Tammy Shields, the group's community action coordinator. 

"A lot of times people don't know what it's like to vote, what the process is, so we're taking away those barriers so they have that information."

They call it a voter pop-up.

The idea is, if you want more people to vote, show them how it's done.

Shields said the big challenge is convincing people who can't pay their rent or buy groceries that an election campaign is worth their attention.

"[It's about] letting people know that those are the issues that then you can attach to the candidates in your area, and then ask them what they're going to do to address some of those issues for you," she said.

Volunteer Doris MacKaracher has been voting for more than 50 years. She said she wants to do whatever she can to help drive home the message that voting matters.

"If they don't vote, how can people help them?" she said.

"We all need rent control. We need food.... If we don't vote for a politician who can help us, then it's not worth it."

MacKaracher said people in north-end Dartmouth need access to affordable healthy food and health-care.

"My doctor is retiring in December so I have to get a new one," MacKaracher said.

"That's three doctors in a row. I think I have one, so I'm lucky. But there's a lot of people that don't have doctors ⁠— or health care ⁠— and they badly need it."

Shields said she feels there is some evidence that voter pop ups work. She said her group hosted a similar one prior to municipal elections in 2016 and voter turnout in the district jumped five percentage points.

MacKaracher said she has a feeling it will work this time too.

"I've been talking to a lot of people in this area and they're going out to vote for the first time," she said.