On Monday, a mock election for Calgarians experiencing homelessness and poverty was held by the Calgary Homeless Foundation with polling stations at four locations in the city. Between the Calgary Drop-in Centre, Alpha House, The Alex and the YWCA polling stations, nearly 500 people turned up to learn more about the voting process as well as cast a “practice” vote on key issues affecting the community.
According to the ballot results, “affordable housing” was voted the top issue that Calgarians who are homeless say needs to be addressed by Canada’s next parliament. Other options in the running included “mental health”, “harm reduction”, “minimum income” and a write in option labelled “other”.
“There aren’t a lot of options for the homeless to go in this city,” said one mock election participant, referring to Calgary’s affordable housing crisis and shelter capacity challenges. “I had to choose between sleep and work, because if I went to work all of the mats would be gone by the time I got back.”
“Mental health” was voted the second most important issue.
It is estimated that there are approximately 3,000 Calgarians who are homeless on any given night: accessing emergency shelters at the YWCA and other agencies or sleeping in unsafe or unsuitable situations. Most of those who are homeless reside in the riding of Calgary-Centre. People who are homeless experience significant barriers to voting historically including mobility and transportation challenges as well as things many take for granted such as identification listing an address.
The goal of the mock election was to encourage voting by those who often feel they do not have a voice and provide them with understanding of the process. Support was also available for those without identification to obtain a letter of residence in order to register to vote.
The event also serves as a reminder for all Canadians to learn about each political party’s values and vote with their conscience on October 19.
