Sandwiches, beer and other weird voter incentives

With only 61.1 per cent of voters turning up to cast their ballot last federal election, there are some Canadians that want to make voting this year more attractive.

Here are four creative incentives that have popped up in the last few weeks:

1. A homemade sandwich

A Vancouver artist is hoping to appeal to the voter's stomach.

Byron Dauncey is encouraging people to make a sandwich for a friend who goes and votes. He is promoting the tasty campaign through his website, called I Will Make You a sandwich.

Dauncey is hoping talking about food first will get the political conversation going. 

"People can talk about sandwiches and sandwich recipes in a way that they don't talk about politics," he said.  

Dauncey gave the campaign a test run during the last civic election in Vancouver. 

The weirdest request he got was a peanut butter, onion and mayo sandwich, that is surprisingly good, he said. 

This time he hopes the sandwich is just a nudge to go vote. 

"It gets people to get organized and get to the polls and enjoy a sandwich with their friends after," he said. 

2. A ride to the polls

Regina resident Koby Schwab is offering up his wheels on election day. 

​Schwab is taking the day off work to give people in need a ride to the polls.

"One of the big complaints I hear is that people don't have time to get away and vote and they have no way of getting there," Schwab said. "So I'm trying to help eliminate as many of those obstacles as I can." 

Schwab said he'll give rides to any Regina polling station and is paying for the gas. 

"I don't care who you're voting for, I just want people to get out there and take part in democracy, because it doesn't work as efficiently if not everyone is having their say," he said.  

3. Free beer on election night

The University of Regina Students' Union is sweetening the deal on election night .

They're promising that anyone who pledges to vote can get a free beer at the campus bar on election night.

All they have to do is show the text message they receive after signing up for the pledge. 

URSU President Devon Peters said they're trying to help turn a corner.

"Student voter participation has been declining for much longer than I've been alive and it's really important, we think, that students get out and vote this time," he said on Friday.   

Peters wouldn't say what type of beer they'd offer, or whether students could choose import beers. 

"We will have a free drink available for them. It will contain alcohol of some variety," he said. 

4. Free pot? Snoop Dogg? Neither?

A Vancouver pot dispensary has cancelled its promise for cannabis and Snoop Dogg tickets for voters. 

Last week the Eden Medicinal Society was offering voters a chance at tickets for the Cannabis Cup contest, which includes the sampling of different kinds of marijuana and a Snoop Dogg concert. 

The dispensary has since cancelled its prize, saying it was worried it would conflict with the Canada Elections Act. The act states that it's against the rules to offer or accept bribes to vote.

As an accountable agency we have to make sure we're in full order of the law, so we had to change it.- Danny Kresnyak, Eden Medicinal Society

"We don't think we crossed into the bribery territory, but at the same time we want to make sure we're encouraging democracy rather than disrupting it," said communications director Danny Kresnyak. 

Instead the dispensary will be offering a different way to win the tickets.

Anyone who posts a picture of the dispensary's recent newspaper advertisement for the Cannabis Cup, along with #canadasbestdispensary #elxn2015, will now be entered into the draw.   

"As an accountable agency we have to make sure we're in full order of the law, so we had to change it."