Tingbjerg School earned a disappointing record during the last municipal election. Only one in three eligible voters showed up to cast their ballots at this polling station. This made it the location with the lowest voter participation nationwide.
Copenhagen Municipality and local housing organizations decided this wasn't good enough. They've launched an important mission for the upcoming election: get more voters to the ballot boxes.
They plan to succeed by deploying local democracy guides and election ambassadors throughout Tingbjerg. These volunteers will ring doorbells and talk with residents on the streets. They'll explain the election process and discuss why voting matters.
Lone Holm Clausen, deputy manager of the housing initiative Fælles om Husum/Tingbjerg, explained the approach. She said the ambassadors will engage with people they meet and explain how to vote.
One volunteer ambassador is 26-year-old Barwaqo Hussein. She completed her political science degree last year and has lived in Tingbjerg most of her life.
Hussein spent recent months learning about municipal elections herself. Now she wants to inspire others to visit polling stations.
She said increasing voter participation is crucial. As a local resident, she understands what concerns her neighbors. Hussein noted there's currently too much distance between Tingbjerg and City Hall decisions.
Copenhagen has trained 50 volunteer democracy guides across five housing initiatives. They learned why many people choose not to vote. They also received tips on motivating neighbors to participate.
Hussein emphasized she speaks as a neighbor when engaging residents. She can relate to their concerns, like needing better street lighting in evenings. She confirms these are exactly the issues municipal elections can address.
Over the coming weeks leading to the November 18 election, Hussein and other volunteers will work to engage residents. They created a listening campaign asking people what matters to them. This makes the election more present and relevant. Hussein will even accompany voters to polling stations.
Other local residents support the ambassador initiative. Marie Dahl, another Tingbjerg resident, backs the effort. She said having guides is important because local residents have valuable voices and opinions about community changes.
Low voter turnout in disadvantaged neighborhoods often reflects feelings that politicians don't address local concerns. This grassroots effort attempts to bridge that gap by putting familiar faces at the forefront of election engagement.