Elections BC and Emily Carr University of Art + Design have come together to engage British Columbia's youth in voter registration, the importance of voting, and democratic participation.
An Elections BC pilot project to reach out to B.C.'s creative community has resulted in a special topics course created through Emily Carr's Faculty of Culture + Community, 'Designing for Democracy', taught by Chris Hethrington, assistant professor who has been working with 19 students of varied disciplines since September to provide Elections BC with a multi-faceted program in advance of the May 2013 general election.
Elections BC approached Emily Carr early in July with a proposal to engage youth in preparation of developing a public awareness campaign.
"We're interested in improving the overall quality of the voters list in B.C., and particularly among 18 to 24 year olds," said Chief Electoral Officer Keith Archer. "We are now developing promotional materials to assist in our voter registration drive that will take place during March 6 to 23, 2013. Creative youth working to engage their peers is a logical path to building awareness about the upcoming election and the opportunities to participate."
Following a review, Elections BC will look to integrate the group project concepts and materials into its public awareness campaign around early spring enumeration activities and in a lead up to the May 14, 2013 general election.
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