Canada’s ‘Sluts Against Harper’ Will Send You Nudes For Your Vote
Canada will hold federal elections beginning on October 9, and some ingenious Canadians are coming up with novel ways to encourage fellow citizens to head to the polls — by promising them nude photos for performing their civic duty.
SLUTS AGAINST HARPER // ig: votes4nudes // viral campaign to engage canadian youth voters in the 2015 federal election // personalized nudes for the politically engaged
wanna hear something sad af? almost 5 million progressive voters who went to the polls in 2011 did not elect a single MP. that’s definitely NOT cute. to make our efforts to get harper out more effective, we gotta get cozy with our votes. check out votetogether.ca and strategicvoting.ca to find out the best way to vote in your riding. you’ve still got today, tomorrow and monday to get your early vote in before election day (october 19). POLITICALLY ENGAGED SLUTS ASSEMBLE! #fuckharper #stopharper #cdnpoli #canpoli #elxn2015 #pmharper #elxn42 #goc #vote #votetogether #votes4nudes #slutsagainstharper
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As Vice reports, an Instagram-based campaign dubbed VOTES4NUDES wants to encourage voter turnout with a simple promise: send a selfie with a sticker proving you voted and get a nude in return. Equal parts sexy and rebellious, the campaign is a saucy middle finger to Canada’s current Prime Minster, Stephen Harper.
Canadians don’t much like their Prime Minister — and they’re getting naked to prove it.
These People Will Send You Nudes On Instagram If You Can Prove You Voted
NSFW democracy ahead!
Every election, everyone always asks how to get young people to the polling station. But here’s a novel idea: free, personalized nudes.
An artist and sexuality studies student in Montreal who goes by Jessica Simps is offering just that. The votes4nudes campaign will send you a saucy photo on Instagram if you can prove you’ve voted.
Click to reveal
Simps told BuzzFeed Canada the whole thing was started on a whim.
“Honestly I was joking around on my Facebook feed and I offered BJs for votes and I thought I would make it maybe a little more accessible, maybe a little more realistic,” she said.
Though it started with just Simps sending photos herself, now there’s a team of 20 women across Canada calling themselves “Sluts Against Harper” sending the pictures.
And the best part? It’s totally working. Simps said she’s received proof from hundreds of Canadians who have voted early or with absentee ballots.
“I feel like I’m kind of at the front lines of it, seeing all the voter photos come in,” said Simps. “There’s people testifying saying, ‘hey this is a great idea, I never would have [voted] otherwise.’”
“It’s sparking conversations. It’s getting young people to talk to their friends.”
Although the tone of the campaign is anti-Conservative, Simps isn’t advocating voting for any particular party. Rather, she’s a fan of strategic voting and VoteTogether.ca.
“Not only do we need voter turnout but if we’re going to use our votes wisely that site is really helpful,” she said.
“I’m saying do your research, vote strategically.”
That’s why the Votes 4 Nudes Instagram account is also called “Sluts Against Harper” and not just VOTES4NUDES. In an interview with Vice, campaign creator “Jessica Simps,” a college student in Montreal, explained the logic of the campaign:
In the sex-positive and queer community, “slut” is a really empowered word. It’s also fun. We want to keep it equally light-hearted and flirty, and engage people in a way that is engaging, while making “sluts” a powerful thing. If there’s anything that Stephen Harper doesn’t care about, it’s women and women’s bodies, that’s for sure.
Simps’s original get-out-the-vote plans were more, well, intense. “The first thing I did was post a status on Facebook promising BJs for votes, but I think that scared too many people away because it’s not realistic,” she told Vice. She’s right: that definitely would have been more labor (or “labour,” if you’re a Canadian)-intensive.
We applaud these true Canadian heroes for putting their nudes towards their civic duty. We also hope the idea catches on in neighboring countries. At the very least, “Sluts Against [name of candidate you hate goes here]” would catch on big time in the United States, and probably make 2016 way more fun than it already is.votes4nudes
Vote with tits or ass, you are my man as long as you vote …