"Get out, get registered, get voting and change the country," says Concordia student Matt Heuman. "It’s not going to happen by itself." | Photo by Janpanexperterna.se (Flickr Creative Commons)
Heuman also spoke with the four leading parties about VoteNote. Many officials gave positive feedback in the weeks prior to its official release.
“The app functions as a way to open contact with the younger demographic that political candidates are having so much trouble connecting with. It’s there to fill a hole,” Heuman says.
Although its target market may be the youth population, Heuman insists that VoteNote will also prove useful for the general public in the lead-up to Canada's 2015 federal election on October 19.
It’s important that people feel equipped to make the right decision when choosing their candidate, he says. “It’s not as simple as just going out to the ballots and casting your vote.”
VoteNote is a free app and will be available in both French and English on Android and iOS. Once it's released, fewer obstacles will stand between citizens and the ballots, Heuman says.
“Get out, get registered, get voting and change the country. It’s not going to happen by itself.”
How to use the VoteNote app
- Download the app on your phone
- Sign in; you will then be redirected to the Elections Canada interface with key information
- Check your ID requirements: VoteNote highlights special requirements for First Nations residents, ethnic communities and so on
- Find the official list of candidates with a summary of their politics
- To inform yourself further, you can live chat with users: share comments, discuss the election, converse with politicians and so on
- Watch the countdown to voting day (October 19)
- Follow direction to your local polling site
The VoteNote app is now available for download in the Google Play Store.