Presented by 
Would you talk about politics the first time you meet someone? We wouldn't be surprised if you said no. But a dating and networking app wants to bring voting to the forefront when it comes to first impressions. Bumble Canada's voting badge will now show you which one of your matches is planning to vote in the upcoming Canada election.
Bumble Canada just introduced a new voting badge that lets people know that you're committed to voting in the upcoming federal election. They want the new badge to get people engaged in politics and actually talk about it.
All you do is add the badge to your profile and then people can see that you're engaged in politics and ready to vote. In turn, you can see who else is going to be voting as well.
"We have the opportunity to shape Canadian policy for years to come. Civil, non-partisan conversations about politics, whether it is a longtime friend of a new connection, encourage an open mind and personal growth, and empower you to be the best version of yourself," Meredith Gillies, Canada Marketing Manager for Bumble, told Narcity.
According to a recent Ekos Research Associates poll of people aged 18 to 38, 74 percent of Canadians said they know someone who doesn’t vote.
"We hope that the 'I am a voter' badge sparks some interesting conversations between matches," said Gillies.
Bumble Canada is really getting into the election game by partnering with Apathy is Boring, a non-partisan organization that aims to educate young Canadians about democracy.
The organization wants young Canadians to be active citizens who take part in the democratic process.
"Young Canadians are spending the majority of their time online and on digital platforms. It’s important that we go to where youth are to ask them to participate in this election, and not wait for them to come find us," the organization told Narcity. "Apathy is Boring works in partnership with a variety of community organizations and companies like Bumble which allows us to reach far more youth that one organization ever could. These partnerships also allow us to normalize the act of voting and build a social trend around the act of casting a ballot."
And for every Bumble user in Canada that puts the "I am a voter" badge on their profile, Bumble will donate to Apathy is Boring in support of the work to educate voters. The donation will be up to $10,000.
Politics and voting can sometimes be a hot button issue and it's one that has an impact on who you swipe right on. Bumble revealed that 20 percent of Canadians would not date someone who didn't vote.
Meanwhile, 26 percent of Canadians feel that politics should be talked about regularly in a relationship. That percantage isn't huge or even close to a majority but Bumble Canada wants to change that. They want young people to get involved in politics and show up at the polls.
"We want to remind users to take pride in being a voter. And above all to maximize the number of young Canadians at the polls this election," said Gillies.
In addition to the voting initiative on the app, Bumble Canada will also be having pop-ups in Toronto and Vancouver on October 5 to encourage people to talk about the election and what issues matter to them. The pop-ups will serve as a reminder to vote.
You can also register to vote at the two pop-ups on King St. and Spadina Ave. in Toronto and in the CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver.
The federal election is on Monday, October 21, 2019.
Download Bumble and add the "I am a voter badge" to your Date or BFF profile to let your matches know you're casting a ballot on October 21. For every user that adds the Voter Badge, Bumble will donate to Apathy is Boring. Visit Bumble voter activations at King and Spadina in Toronto (1-9PM) and CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver (11AM-7PM) on Saturday, October 5.
There are stories everywhere. If you spot a newsworthy event in your city, send us a message, photo, or video @NarcityCanada on Twitter and Instagram.
