Two full weeks of electioneering have passed and we’re starting to get an idea of who is serious and who tossed their names in just to feed their egos.
The cool kids these days are using social media as part of their strategy for getting elected. Only three of the 26 people running for office don’t have a Facebook page of one variety or another.
Who are the three forgoing this promotional avenue or slow to set up a page?
Council candidate Kevin Jewell doesn’t have a presence on Facebook. School trustee candidate Ian Kent has also apparently decided Facebook doesn’t fit his election strategy.
And, of course, Terrill Patterson doesn’t have a Facebook page. He’ll make up for it by bringing some cool props to the all candidates meeting early next month.
As of late last week, Internet searches for anything from these three candidates turned up no results.
More than half the candidates are sharing their thoughts, 140 characters at a time, via Twitter.
About half of the candidates have websites. And, of the group that does, a few didn’t have much information about their political ambitions on their website.
Winning an elected position without the use of signs was unheard of until Susan Chapelle achieved that back in 2011. Chapelle took full advantage of her social media channels in the last election and proved that signs are a bit 1988.
One of the challenges with election signs is the ongoing babysitting they require. Bryan Raiser was one of the first people to get signs up for this election. He was also one of the first to have someone pull a bunch of them down, strewing them over the ground at the intersection of Buckley and Cleveland a few days after the signs were posted.
The council candidates need to get support from at least 1,600 people to win a seat at the council table. The sixth place finisher in the council race in 2011 pulled in 1,601 votes. Jeff Cooke placed seventh in 2011 with 1,327 votes.
Peter Kent placed eighth last time with 1,187 votes. This time around he is proving to be even more serious. He put up signs as quickly as Raiser did, he communicates regularly through the Internet using his Facebook account, well-produced videos and he has created a campaign within his campaign called Rock the Vote Squamish 2014. The professional stuntman is committed to setting himself on fire in the middle of Cleveland Avenue after the election if the voter turnout is greater than 40 per cent. A video promoting the campaign has been created and there is a Facebook page dedicated to the cause. Anyone who wants to create a Rock The Vote Squamish 2014 video is encouraged to do so then post the video to the page.
Voter turnout in Squamish has been on a downward trend. Lighting a match under the issue makes sense to those who truly believe in democracy. The 2008 election attracted 42 per cent of the eligible voters while in 2005 the election pulled 44 per cent of voters off the couch. The participation levels in 2002 and 1999 were higher. The figures aren’t readily available but an editorial in The Squamish Chief written after the 2005 election suggested a 44 per cent participation rate is pitiful compared to the two previous elections.
Taking in one or more of the all candidates meetings is a great way to get learn more about the candidates. The big meeting is set for Nov. 5 at Howe Sound Secondary starting at 7 p.m.
The Squamish Chief website has excellent information on the candidates and each week until voting day there will be more in the weekly print edition of the paper on each candidate.
If voting in the municipal election isn’t high on your list of things to do remember that average people in places like Egypt, Libya and Yemen put their lives on the line pushing for governing systems that allow them to play a role in choosing who gets to lead.
