Some candidates in the Oct. 19 provincial election are embracing online options to connect with voters, options that became popular during the 2020 pandemic campaign season, while others say there’s no substitute for connecting face-to-face.
Michele Babchuk, the NDP candidate vying for re-election in North Island, said people seem to have really missed the in-person connections that were absent during the 2020 election campaign.
“I just think it’s important more than ever to be meeting these people face-to-face and having those conversations. And that seems to be working,” she said.
Social media increasingly plays a role in campaigns, Babchuk said.
“But I still truly believe that it’s no substitute for being able to sit down and have a conversation with somebody, or knocking on somebody’s door and talking about what’s happening in their life at this particular time,” said Babchuk, who has spent her campaign travelling a geographically large and remote riding stretching from Campbell River to Port Hardy.
Anna Kindy, the Conservative candidate in the riding, declined an interview request. In an email, Kindy’s campaign manager said her focus is on engaging directly with voters through door-knocking.
Green candidate Nic Dedeluk, a marine biologist, did not respond to an interview request.
The North Island seat has been held by the NDP since 2005, when there was a relatively tight NDP-Liberal race. NDP wins have been more comfortable since then.
In the south Island riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head, Conservative candidate Stephen Andrew said he’s embracing options that became popular during the pandemic, such as online town halls.
“I think social media plays a huge role in campaigns now. What it does is it gives an opportunity to disseminate different opinions and that’s good,” he said.
His campaign is also sticking with the tried-and-true campaigning methods of door-knocking and phone calls in an effort to connect with voters, Andrew said. “You just do all the traditional things and pray that you’ve done enough.”
Lisa Gunderson, Green candidate in Oak Bay-Gordon Head, said she’s focusing much of her attention on social media to connect with young voters.
“We’re just trying to maintain our base and grow it,” she said, adding that inspiring young people to vote can change the outcome of elections.
She has focused on sticking to the issues during the debates, rather than attacking her opponents, a strategy she said has been appreciated by young people.
Diana Gibson, running in the riding for the NDP, said while knocking on doors, she’s hearing from voters that debates help them understand “what’s at stake in this election.”
“Even on a rainy Thanksgiving Day, had a lot of great responses at the door, which is incredible,” she said.
