Ad blitz to target voter apathy.
Elections Alberta starts $1M campaign
Amid concerns of possible record-low turnout at the ballot box, Elections Alberta is launching a $1-million advertising campaign aimed at counteracting voter apathy in advance of the May 5 provincial election, the agency said Monday.
The Decide For Yourself campaign, which begins Thursday, features ads on TV, radio, social media and in newspapers primarily urging young Albertans to vote, said spokesman Drew Westwater.
“We’re trying to reach all those who typically don’t participate in the provincial general election and try to get them engaged and involved,” he said. “It’s the first time in Alberta we’ve done it.”
The engagement campaign is being launched in advance of an election some political analysts are predicting could have the lowest voter turnout percentage in provincial history. Westwater, however, said the advertising campaign is part of a long-term strategy to address locally what has become a global trend of youth apathy toward voting.
The Don’t Let Others Decide For You ads feature 30-second vignettes involving people about to make choices in everyday situations — only to have someone else make the decisions for them, said Westwater.
In one ad, a man about to buy a cute puppy has it snatched from him and replaced with a cat.
A spokesman for Jim Prentice said the PC leader wouldn’t “pre-judge” voter turnout before the election, but stressed that Albertans should be engaged in choosing the course for the province’s future.
Opposition leaders on the campaign trail said they support Elections Alberta’s efforts to engage voters, but blamed the apathy in this election on Prentice’s decision to call a vote a year ahead of the fixed date set by the legislature.
“This is an unwanted and unnecessary election that is costing Albertans at a time when many are struggling,” Liberal interim leader David Swann said.
Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said voters are disenchanted with all politicians as a result of the actions of the Progressive Conservatives, who have governed the province for nearly 44 consecutive years. “People say all politicians are the same,” said Jean, whose riding in Fort McMurray has one of the lowest voter turnout records in the country. “I think most people are very discouraged and disengaged.”
He conceded the defection of 11 Wildrose MLAs to the governing Tories last year didn’t help. “I think that upset a lot of people,” Jean said.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley said while it is important Elections Alberta makes sure people are aware of the campaign, political parties have a major role to play by giving them a reason to vote.
“It is also critically important that we look at ways to make voting easier,” she said.