A federal election is a great opportunity to advance our campaign to make poverty history. Please help to make this an election that will make a difference.
We can greatly improve the chances of governments taking serious actions to make poverty history at home and abroad if we make poverty a key election issue. If we can use the election to secure commitments from party leaders on anti-poverty policies, it will be much easier to get them to keep these promises after an election. We need to show candidates that many voters care about poverty and want to know what candidates and parties will do to make poverty history.
That is why we have launched the Vote to Make Poverty History non-partisan, third party campaign with the following goals:
- Make poverty an issue during the election campaign;
- Get a significant number of candidates to endorse Make Poverty History’s campaign goals;
- Secure a commitment from political parties on Make Poverty History goals in party platforms and leader’s statements;
- Motivate voters to vote to make poverty history; and
- Help to create favourable conditions for realizing Make Poverty History goals after the election.
1. Ask Candidates Questions About Poverty
Ask candidates to support the Make Poverty History Call to Action and wear a white band to show their support. All candidates will be sent a white band with a request that they wear it during the campaign to show they support the Make Poverty History Call to Action. Follow up with candidates in your riding by asking them to wear the white band to show they support the Make Poverty History campaign and that they will work towards realizing its goals if elected.
- When candidates or their canvassers knock on your door, ask them if they support Make Poverty History and pose some of the Questions to Ask Candidates.
- Attend all-candidates meetings and ask questions from the Questions to Ask Candidates.
- Stop by campaign offices, speak to candidates at community events, at the mall and on the street. Ask them if they support Make Poverty History and if they'll work to make poverty history if elected. Ask them to wear the white band if they support the Make Poverty History Call to Action.
- Check the Vote to Make Poverty History website one week before voting day to see which candidates in your riding have indicated their support for the Make Poverty History goals. Then vote for the candidate you feel is best able to help make poverty history.
2. Let the world know “I’m voting to Make Poverty History”
- Print out the “I’m voting to Make Poverty History” window sign and stick it in your front window. This will let candidates and canvassers know what they need to do to get your vote.
- Order “I’m voting to Make Poverty History” buttons and bumper stickers. They are available for $50 for 50 of each. You can sell them to friends for $1 each (or give them away) and help us to get the word out. We don’t have time to set up a web store but you can just donate $50 or more on our online $50 for 50 donations site and we will send you a package.
- Set the “I’m Voting to Make Poverty History” logo as your facebook or twitter photo.
- Take a photo of yourself or a group of friends wearing the I’m voting to Make Poverty History button or holding the sign and post it to our Flickr account at www.makepovertyhistory.ca/vote. We will post it to our web site and issue a news release to draw media attention to the many people who are supporting our campaign.
3. Advertize
- Organize an “I’m voting to Make Poverty History” gathering and photo shoot and place the photo in a local community newspaper as an ad. Invite friends on facebook or use a meeting where people are already gathered and ask people to hold up “I’m voting to Make Poverty History” signs and wear buttons. Even better, create a large banner! Take a photo. Collect donations of a few dollars each to pay for placing the photo in a local community newspaper as a paid advertisement. You can download ad templates from our website.
- Download and post the “Vote to Make Poverty History” banner to your website.
4. Donate
5. Organize an All-Candidates Meeting
- Make Poverty History has prepared a Guide for Organizing an All-Candidates Meeting. Get together with some friends or groups concerned about global and domestic poverty issues, book a hall, invite candidates, invite the public. Or ask questions on global and domestic poverty issues at candidate meetings organized by other groups. Use the Sample Questions Make Poverty History has prepared.
- Make Poverty History has email addresses of hundreds or even thousands of supporters in your riding. We can send out notices to these supporters of an all-candidates meeting or photo shoot you organize. Simply send us an email with all the details and we can pass the word on. In your email, remember to include the date, time and complete location of the event.
6. Get Visible with Party Leaders
- If party leaders come to your community, show up at their events, wave “I’m voting to make poverty history” signs, wear a Make Poverty History t-shirt, ask them what they would do to help make poverty history. Be polite and have fun.
7. Take Media Action
- Publicize your views. Tell your local media you care about poverty and urge reporters to ask candidates what they'll do to help end poverty.
- Write letters to the editor, send in opinion articles and call in to radio shows. See a Sample Letter to the Editor and Sample Opinion Article Make Poverty History has prepared and revise it to add your own local angle.
- Blog, tweet and facebook about the Vote to Make Poverty History campaign.
8. Go online
- Make Poverty History will be doing a series of online actions during the election campaign. Sign on and take action. Encourage your friends to sign-on.
With your support we will be able to mount a Vote to Make Poverty History campaign that will make a difference.
Sincerely,
Dennis Howlett
National Coordinator, Make Poverty History
