Canada/Halifax wants to help the homeless vote in municipal elections

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has set up an initiative to help approximately 140 homeless people exercise their right to vote in the October 19 municipal elections.

Outreach workers are visiting homeless shelters and camps these days to remind them that they have the right to vote in the October 19 municipal elections, and to help them get the documentation they need to do so.

In order to vote, a letter of attestation of name and address is provided to homeless people over the age of 18 who have been living in the province for at least 6 months.

One of the things we're hearing from candidates is that housing is a very important issue," says Max Chauvin, City Manager of Housing and Homelessness. We want to make sure that people who don't have a place to live feel like: my voice can be heard, I can participate.

Outreach workers will visit encampments at Lower Flinn, Cogswell and Green Road Parks, as well as Geary Street in Dartmouth, University Avenue and Barrington Street Green Space in Halifax.

Homeless people in other areas will also receive a visit or letter, if they are known to outreach workers.

A vote that counts

According to municipality spokesman Iain MacLean, the initiative is part of a wider strategy to make elections more accessible.

The most important thing is to offer the opportunity [to vote]," says Iain MacLean, "and we realize that not everyone in the municipality is going to vote. We just want to make sure we do everything we can to make the process safe and accessible for those who want to exercise their right to vote.

Iain MacLean shares that other towns have heard about MHR's initiative and contacted him for advice on setting up a similar program.

Max Chauvin says that the majority of people who have been approached so far by outreach workers have said they were touched by the municipality's efforts to help them vote. Some others said they had no intention of going to the polls.

A good number of people said it was very nice and they were delighted that someone had come to tell them they counted," he says.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/