TIME TO VOTE OCT 25 IN WINDSOR ELECTION!

Election Office Reaching Out to Increase Voter Awareness


The City Clerk’s office for the City of Windsor has been committed this year to making it easy for every single eligible voter to vote in the municipal election, and that starts with spreading the word. Efforts are already paying off, as 8,059 people came out to vote in last week’s advance polls—a 70% increase over advance polls in 2006. While Windsor’s total voter turnout of approximately 38% in 2006 was respectable in comparison to other municipalities, the goal is to increase that number in 2010. This means reaching out by as many means as possible, some of them for the first time ever.


While all voting stations are accessible this year, voters at advance polls had the unique opportunity to take advantage of the AutoMark ballot marking device. This assistive device provided a number of helpful options including touch screen tactile buttons with Braille, sip/puff tube, rocker paddle, and a high contrast touch screen with zoom feature. To spread the word about this new service, the City sent informative flyers to a number of community service organizations detailing the AutoMark device, advance poll times and locations, and free Transit services to voting stations. All information was also posted on the official election website.


To reach seniors in the community, informative pamphlets have been supplied to 16 long-term care facilities and Centres for Seniors Windsor; and numerous polling stations have been located within senior centres. A Senior Voters page has been included at www.windsorelections.ca, and linked from the Windsor-Essex Seniors Portal and the Seniors Advisory Committee.

Homeless residents without a permanent address likely did not receive a voter notification card, but they are still eligible to vote. To ensure that homeless voters are on the Voters’ List and are given the opportunity to vote, City staff visited area shelters earlier this month to give unlisted residents the opportunity to be added to the list.

To encourage potential young voters to participate, Vote Out Loud Windsor (VOL) was created. VOL uses social media sites, videos and other promotions to get the word out about who can vote and how. Check out www.voteoutloudwindsor.com.

Residents can learn more about the election by calling 311 or visiting us online at www.windsorelections.ca and www.facebook.com/ElectionsWindsor2010. In addition to these resources, a brochure entitled “It’s Your Time to Vote” was mailed to every household in the city in September. Additional copies are available at City Hall while supplies last.

by Deborah Jones Publisher Biz X Magazine

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