Website tries to make voting sexy

Cora Carriveau is considered a long shot for election next Monday, but the Green Party candidate in the Ontario riding of Essex has made the final four in another popularity contest.

Carriveau has won several head-to-head battles in anonline contest to find the sexiest political candidate.

On CBC Windsor's Early Shift on Wednesday, Carriveau admitted she has noticed some increased interest from voters.

"It does allow people who might be arriving at somebody's picture to be able to go and check out their platform and go and understand more about their candidate," Carriveau said. "And I've noticed since the contest started, my actual profile on the Green Party website, the hits that it's received has doubled."

But Carriveau, described as an environmental geoscientist on her website, has mixed feelings about the attention, even while she appreciates the contest is funnelling people to her party's web page.

"I think it sort of diminishes what each candidate has to say when all of a sudden we're facing an opinion on their looks,"she said. "Sure, it is very flattering. I take it with a grain of salt. It's amusing, and I try not to take it too seriously, because I think we all need a little more fun in these elections."

Carriveau said the contest has given her a stage to talk about her issues, which include making life more affordable for seniors, affordable childcare for working families, and getting more doctors to settle in rural areas.

The bare-shouldered photo is taken from her official election Facebook page. Carriveau said it was taken in Point Pelee Provincial Park, "a place thatI really like to be," she said.

The competition

Carriveau is up againstLiberal Ilona Niemczyk and New Democrats Farah Kalbouneh and Nadine Bailey in the final-fourrace among women running in the federal election.

A parallel contest for men features two Green and two Liberal candidates, including Justin Trudeau and party leader Michael Ignatieff.

The finalists were chosen by online readers more than 250,000 votes have been cast so far.

The website was created as a way to get people interested in voting, according to an online statement from the webmaster and Toronto blogger Zach Bussey.

"No one is suggesting people should vote based on looks,"Bussey said Wednesday. "It's just a softer entry into politics than 'health care renegotiation' or 'long gun registry.' These words aren't going to appeal to a voter who has no previous interest in politics. The idea here is it's an easy first step. It's fun, not too serious and connects you with candidates' names and faces."