How It Will Work?
Mobilize.
Select.
Elect.
Our approach
We have a straightforward approach:
- Build the constituency.
- Establish options/process toward consensus candidate.
- Build brand on Calgary Centre and our diverse, unique and unified voice.
- Align with Calgary’s strength in a progressive Canada.
- Become a critical communication channel for progressive voters AND progressive parties/the media.
- Inspire progressives and remind them that their vote counts.
- Engage those who do not relate to party politics but want to vote for a progressive candidate.
- Encourage those who have stopped voting, or never have voted, to remember that the electoral process is important and needs them.
- Mobilize the constituency behind a selected candidate to ensure that he/she has the support to win the by-election.
We hope to evolve the democratic process for the progressives of Calgary Centre. We need to stay focused in this effort to evolve democracy and bring it back to the voters of the riding. By doing this, we can mitigate some of the fractured party politics amongst progressive parties to ensure that we are able to find our voice and a consensus-based candidate whom we know can win.
Proposed Process
This is an innovative approach to mobilizing the progressive vote in Calgary Centre.
Effectively, we are crowdsourcing support for a single progressive candidate.
Via our website and Facebook group, we are asking you, the voters of Calgary Centre, to indicate your interest in supporting a single progressive candidate.
Are we supporting one political party over another/all others?
No. We want Calgary Centre voters to hear from every progressive party and what they have to say and offer our riding.
Are we supporting one candidate over another/all others?
No. Calgary Centre voters should hear from all candidates – why they want to represent the riding, what their vision for the riding is, their relationship to their national party and why they are seeking your support. They can choose if they want to engage 1CalgaryCentre or not. It is our hope that they choose the former. But, ultimately, we need to select one. And only one.
We view the 1CalgaryCentre initiative as a parallel process in democracy. We respect all progressive parties and candidates. However, we are realistic in our belief that if the progressive vote is fractured in the riding, we will never have representation in Ottawa.
Thus, we are seeking the support from all progressive voters in Calgary Centre to get engaged via this initiative: your support. Discuss the parties and candidates on this website, Facebook and Twitter. Go out in your community and encourage other voters to sign up and join 1CalgaryCentre. Ideally, all progressive voters, regardless of demographic or political affiliation, will find their way here.
When you register, you have the option of volunteering for this campaign. Iit is our belief that this campaign is equally as important as the by-election. You can drop flyers off in mail boxes, hold coffee parties, donate a small sum of cash or join the campaign team. Whatever you are willing to do, we appreciate your support!
And what exactly are you signing up for?
- Your desire to have a progressive Minister of Parliament for Calgary Centre.
- Your willingness to participate in an online voting process to select a single progressive candidate that our riding will support in the upcoming by-election.
- Once a single progressive candidate has been selected via our crowdsourcing approach by Calgary Centre voters and our online community, individuals can choose to shift their effort over to support that candidate to ensure that they win the by-election.
When you register, we promise to protect your confidentiality and personal privacy. Our team will abide by all privacy legislation (PIPA and PIPEDA) and your contact information will be used solely for this initiative and will not be shared with any political parties or third-party agencies.
We ask that when you register, you indicate that you live within the riding.
To select our candidate, we will be using an online voting system where we rank candidates. Based on a net score and ranking, a preferred candidate will be selected by you, the voters of Calgary Centre.
At this point, when the one has been selected, this candidate will officially be recognized by voters as the one who emerged as their own preferred candidate, through the 1CalgaryCentre process, in the upcoming by-election. Individuals of our collective can then proceed as the wish to mobilize with volunteer corps, resources and campaign team to support this candidate, to win the by-election.
With your second vote, this can be achieved. And Calgary Centre will have progressive representation.