Conservative candidate targets bars for youth votes
Last Updated: Friday, December 23, 2005 | 12:35 PM ET
CBC News
Rahim Jaffer is heading to the bars this season in hopes of capturing the youth vote but he won't be partaking in the usual frivolities.
The Conservative candidate for Edmonton-Strathcona is spending a third of his advertising budget on ads that appear on video screens just above automated bank machines, sprinkled liberally throughout the city's famous drinking quarters on Whyte Avenue.
The MP, not exactly aged himself at 34, figures it might be one way to grab the attention of a sector of voters notorious for poor turnout on election day.
"They may not remember a lot the next day but maybe they'll remember that (his ads) and also we're doing it in a fun way, so I think that does make a connection with people," said Jaffer.
The lighthearted ads feature Jaffer decked out in a sunflower costume and a Santa cap.
"When they're in that age category, they don't want really strong political messaging," he said. "They want to see, okay there's someone who's having fun, who's talking about something that's important – an election – but not in a way that bores them."
Jaffer said only 30 per cent of people under 30 voted in the last election.
Despite their voting record, Jaffer said the 20-year-old set have some vested interest in the issues.
"Young people, especially, are interested in what we can do about improving access to education, fiscal accountability, even democratic reform," he said.
Jaffer said he expects a close race in the riding, given the strength of NDP candidate Linda Duncan.
