Done voting? Take a selfie, says Young Voters of PEI

Young voters are not only encouraged to vote in P.E.I.'s plebiscite on electoral reform, they're being asked to celebrate the moment with a selfie.

The "vote selfie campaign" — launched by Young Voters of PEI — where people take selfies after they vote and post them to social media — was also done for the federal election in 2015.

Now it's being brought out again for the plebiscite, said Jesse Hitchcock, co-founder of the group.

"So if you see all of your friends posting pictures of themselves having fun and smiling with their voting cards … and 'Oh right I have to do that.' And just create some hype around it," she said.

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It takes the "stuffiness" out of the voting process, she said, but also serves as a reminder for young people to get out and vote.

For the first time, 16-and-17-year-olds are allowed to vote in the plebiscite, which offers four new options for electoral reform as well as the current system of first past the post.

Islanders have from Saturday until Nov. 7 to vote online or over the phone. They can also vote in person Nov. 4 and 5.

Hitchock said she knows many young voters who have made up their mind and ready to cast their ballots, but others who are still unsure.

The conversations unfolding on social media have been "super important," Hitchock said, so it makes sense to keep it going with the vote selfie campaign.

"People are just talking about it so much and posting about it so much," she said. "It's a logical followup to be like, 'Hey this is me finally doing it.'"

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