NEWS RELEASE

VoteParty.ca / PartyVote.ca and VotePromise.ca initiatives reached 1.5 million people across Canada with “take a non-voter to vote” message

Thank you to Cineplex Entertainment and more than 25 celebrities who provided important, generous help in reaching voters

Voter turnout was 66% -- 3^rd highest since 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, October 30, 2019

OTTAWA – Today, the VoteParty/PartyVote and VotePromise initiatives announced that they reached 1.5 million people across Canada during the federal election campaign with their key messages to take a non-voter to vote with you.

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 third election that VoteParty.ca and VotePromise.ca initiatives were active, and the first 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%). This election, the initiatives helped keep the voter turnout up to 66%, the third-highest total since the 1997 election.

Hundreds of thousands of people were reached through celebrity montage VoteParty and PartyVote video ads shown before movies in 162 Cineplex Entertainment theatres across Canada from Oct. 4-17. Cineplex Entertainment generously donated the cost of showing the videos at its theatres.

More than 25 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 first VoteParty video ad, which ran in Cineplex theatres from Oct. 4-11, features 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).

The second VoteParty video, which ran in Cineplex theatres from Oct. 11-17, features David Suzuki (environmentalist and host of CBC The Nature of Things), Lindsay Broughton (country singer), 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).

Other well-known Canadians who did videos for VoteParty are: Tom Green; Graham Wardle (CBC’s Heartland); Carolyn Taylor and Jennifer Whalen from the Baroness von Sketch show; and The Tenors.

To see their videos and all the other VoteParty videos, click here or watch them on the VoteParty’s YouTube playlist.

Other well-known Canadians who did videos for VotePromise are: George Stroumboulopoulos; Patrick McKenna; Julian Taylor Band; The Dead South band, and Tyler Ellis. To see their videos and all the other VotePromise videos, click here or watch them on VotePromise’s YouTube playlist.

The following media outlets covered the initiatives: QR77 Talk Radio (Alberta), Radio Canada International, CKLW AM800 (Windsor), 570News (Kitchener), Radio-Canada.ca, Radio-Canada (Ottawa-Gatineau), Radio-Canada (Toronto), CBC Radio Ottawa (Morning show), CBC Radio Toronto (Afternoon show), and many other radio stations across Canada.

VoteParty 2019 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]