NEWS RELEASE

VoteParty.ca / PartyVote.ca and VotePromise.ca initiatives reached 1.3 million+ people across Canada with “take a non-voter to vote” message

Thank you to Cineplex Entertainment and 14 celebrities who provided important, generous help in reaching voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, September 27, 2021

OTTAWA – Today, the VoteParty/PartyVote and VotePromise initiatives announced that they reached more than 1.3 million people across Canada during the federal election campaign with their key messages to take a non-voter to vote with you. The initiatives reach more people than any other non-governmental voter turnout initiatives in Canada.

VoteParty invited voters to “Make a #VoteDate and take a non-voter to vote with them.” PartyVote invited voters to “Fixez un #RendezvousdeVote avec une personne qui ne vote pas et amenez-la voter avec vous.” And VotePromise asked voters to “Make the #VotePromise to help a non-voter vote.”

This was the fourth election that VoteParty.ca and VotePromise.ca initiatives were active, and the second that the French PartyVote.ca initiative was active. The initiatives helped voter turnout increase by more than 7% in the 2015 federal election (to 68%) and 6% in the 2018 Ontario election (to 57%), and keep voter turnout up at 67% during the 2019 federal election.

This election the initiatives were faced with the same barriers as many other voter turnout efforts due to the summer snap election call, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 850,000 people were reached through celebrity montage VoteParty and PartyVote video ads shown before movies in 159 Cineplex Entertainment theatres across Canada from September 2-16. Cineplex Entertainment generously donated the cost of showing the videos at its theatres.

As well, 14 well-known Canadians did videos in support of the initiatives. Musician and radio host Florence K did the PartyVote video ad that ran before French-language movies in Cineplex theatres – see it on the PartyVote.ca website.

The VoteParty video ad which ran in Cineplex theatres from September 2-16 featured Rick Mercer (comedian and former host of CBC’s Rick Mercer Report), Elena Juatco (actress from ABC’s Open Heart and CTV’s JANN show), MAGIC! (#1 song “Rude” and other top songs), Ashley Callingbull (actress from APTN’s Blackstone, and Mrs. Universe), and Michelle Morgan (actress from CBC’s Heartland).

Other well-known Canadians who did videos for VoteParty include: Graham Wardle (CBC’s Heartland); David Suzuki (environmentalist and host of CBC The Nature of Things); Greg Bryk (actor on Space TV’s Bitten and in Brad Pitt’s latest film Ad Astra); Mary Walsh (comedian and former co-host of CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Rick Miller (comedian, creator of the “BOOM” and “BOOM X” theatre shows, and former host of the Just for Laughs TV show).

You can see their videos on VoteParty’s 2021 YouTube playlist.

Other well-known Canadians who did videos for VotePromise are: George Stroumboulopoulos (CBC Radio host); actor Patrick McKenna, and; musicians Julian Taylor and Tyler Ellis. You can see their videos on VotePromise’s 2021 YouTube playlist.

VoteParty 2021 was a great party – thank you very much again to everyone who helped out!

VoteParty.ca, PartyVote.ca and VotePromise.ca are initiatives of Democracy Education Network, since 1993 one of Canada’s leading civics education organizations.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Education Network
and Coordinator of VoteParty.ca, PartyVote.ca and VotePromise.ca
Tel: (613) 241-5178
Cell: 416-546-3443
Email: [email protected]