Below is an article from the January 8, 2003 edition of The Record.  For
more information about this initiative contact michael at
[log in to unmask] in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Group working to get low-income residents to vote

Wednesday January 8, 2003
FRANK ETHERINGTON
RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER -- A campaign to encourage low-income people to vote in the
November municipal election is being organized by Kitchener social
activists.

Organizers of Promote the Vote are trying to address extremely low turnouts
among low-income and homeless voters in municipal, provincial and federal
elections, Michael Parkinson, supervisor of Kitchener's House of
Friendship's emergency food-hamper program, said yesterday.

Parkinson and representatives from Kitchener's Downtown Health Centre, the
Working Centre and other agencies plan to find non-partisan ways to address
the problems faced by poor voters.

They include being able to get names on voters' lists without producing
personal identification and a concern some poor people might be pursued by
credit agencies about outstanding debts once they meet voter-registration
requirements.

The group wants volunteers to go door to door in communities where needy
people live and to obtain a small amount of government cash to print
brochures that can be distributed to low-income voters at downtown shelters
and agencies.

Brochures would be prepared in time for the municipal election or a
provincial election if it is called this year, said Parkinson.

He said voters will also be contacted through English as a second language
classes, neighbourhood community centres and leaders within local cultural
communities.

"People died for the right to vote and it's disheartening to see low voter
turnouts," said Parkinson. "We want people to recognize most government
policies benefit higher-income groups but have a definite impact on low-
income households where poverty becomes . . . a public-health issue."

Among other techniques to improve municipal voter turnouts that drop as low
as 30 to 35 per cent, the group hopes to help with literacy and language
issues and to provide transportation to get voters to polls.

Educational workshops on democracy aimed at poor voters will be organized
in coming months.

Gary Sosnoski, Kitchener's city clerk, will attend a Jan. 23 meeting of the
Promote the Vote group between 7 and 9 p.m. at 43 Queen St. S., Kitchener
to handle voter questions. The group is also examining the success of two
other programs created to increase turnout among low-income voters.

Our Kids Can Vote-Canada educates public school students about the
importance of an informed electorate and the purpose of voting. Students
then remind parents about their civic responsibility to vote.

After being told about local issues, students in grades 4 to 10 staff
polling booths and stage their own advance votes, which are compared to
adult-voter results.

The other program is the Coalition of Progressive Voters in Vancouver,
which provides an alternative to mainstream, municipal parties and solves
identification problems for low-income voters.

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