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Signs, social media important for election campaign: Red Deer candidates

The provincial election is April 16
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Election signs sitting on the side of the road by Parkland Mall in North Red Deer. Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff

Red Deer politicians running in the upcoming provincial election say there are many tools an effective campaign must use.

Signs, social media and door-to-door meetings are just some of the things candidates will utilize to sway voters heading into the April 16 election.

Adriana LaGrange, UCP candidate for the Red Deer-North riding, has participated in a number of municipal elections as a board member for the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools. She said social media has become a bigger tool than it was when she was first elected to the board in 2007.

Voters “are on Instagram, they’re on Twitter, they’re on Facebook,” said LaGrange. “I think you definitely have to be a part of that current conversation because some people will only converse through social media, whereas others prefer the old methods.”

Kim Schreiner, NDP incumbent for the Red Deer-North riding, said social media is one of the best tools to reach young people.

“They’re all over social media and this is how they educate themselves and spread the message. Social media is very important,” she said.

Signs are another important tool for campaigns, Schreiner added.

“Once people see the signs, they’ll know there’s an election coming quickly and gets them thinking about the different platforms and who they should be voting for come April,” she said.

Schreiner said going door-to-door to meet with voters is one of her favourite parts about being on the campaign trail.

“It’s so important we get out to the doors and hear face-to-face from the constituents about what’s important to them. The last four years we’ve been able to bring so many wonderful projects to fruition in Red Deer and I heard it from the people at the doors,” she said.

LaGrange said going door-to-door helps voters put a face to a candidates’s name.

“I want to meet them, where they’re at and hear their concerns,” LaGrange said. “I go to certain areas and I hear concerns that there has been a lot of break-ins, and other areas have other concerns.”

Candidates need to use all of these tools, including social media and signs, to run an effective campaign, LaGrange added.

“There is no one particular way of campaigning that works,” said LaGrange. “It includes social media, it includes print literature, it includes signs, it includes mail-outs, it includes phoning. We’re utilizing all those different pieces.”

Both Schreiner and LaGrange say volunteers are crucial to a campaign as well.

“Volunteers can potentially make or break a campaign,” said Schreiner. “We have to have those volunteers come into our office and help out in any way they like.”



sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com

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Photo by SEAN MCINTOSH/Advocate staff Election signs sitting on the side of the road by Parkland Mall in North Red Deer.


Sean McIntosh

About the Author: Sean McIntosh

Sean joined the Red Deer Advocate team in the summer of 2017. Originally from Ontario, he worked in a small town of 2,000 in Saskatchewan for seven months before coming to Central Alberta.
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