‘I think it’s a particularly tough cycle’: Creative ads aim to draw attention to Tuesday’s election

The video opens on a close-up of people booty -bumping with copies of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence sticking out of their jean pockets, as an instantly recognizable drumbeat begins to loop in the background.

The lyrics, however, take a playful turn.

“Elections bring all the voters to the polls. And they’re like, our candidate’s better than yours. Damn right, they’re better than yours. They won’t cheat you or try to silence your voice.”

Released Oct. 27, the ad features freshman Democratic state Rep. Natasha Hill and a group of elected officials dancing to a spoof version of the 2003 hit song “Milkshake” by Kelis.

“It just looked like an opportunity to get folks together to have some fun around a way that we can promote getting out to vote and campaigning,” Hill said in an interview Friday. “Just doing it a little bit differently.”

Hill, who is not up for election this cycle, is joined in the ad by her seatmate, state Rep. Timm Ormsby, and current Spokane City Council members Paul Dillon, Zack Zappone and Kitty Klitzke, Spokane School Board member Jenny Slagle and several other current and former candidates for public office.

Since choreography is not typically a required skill for public office, Hill said the officials worked to make the moves simple.

“We were all very nervous, I will share, about the dance moves,” Hill said. “I will admit, I’m not the most rhythmic person. So, I shared that to make people comfortable that we were going to make this as simple as possible and not as intricate as the original.”

With more than 7,000 views on Instagram, the ad is an example of the steps candidates take to get their message out during an election cycle without presidential or congressional races at the top of the ticket.

“I think we’re just trying to bring a little joy, and a little bit of light, to what a lot of people are feeling are dark times,” Hill said. “I’m hopeful that this gets people, maybe, paying attention to candidates and what they stand for and who’s representing them. And making sure that folks appreciate that it’s the people that get to decide who’s in those roles and what direction they’re going to take us.”

While a presidential race can draw around 80% turnout among registered voters, an off-year election with local races typically has a third of the turnout. Only 36.9% Spokane County voters cast their ballots in the 2021 election, for example.

Both parties are aware of the lack of participation in local elections and they work to combat that challenge.

“I think it’s a particularly tough cycle this off-year election,” Rob Linebarger, chair of the Spokane County GOP, said in an interview Friday. “It is a challenge even if you have really appealing candidates.”

Like Democrats, the Spokane County Republican Party has made efforts in recent weeks to encourage registered voters to return their ballots. Linebarger said this has included sample ballots, door-to-door canvassing, mailers and other promotional materials meant to draw attention to local issues.

While voters are often drawn to the high-stakes nature of presidential elections, Linebarger said local elections can often have a more direct impact.

“You would think you would have more enthusiasm for local candidates, because they have more impact on our day-to-day than national candidates do,” Linebarger said. “It’s perplexing to me why it’s so tough to get people out for these local elections, but it is. It’s a lot of work for these campaigns to get turnout.”

As of 5 p.m. on Monday, a little more than 1 million voters, or 19.75% of registered voters, have returned their ballots across the state, according to data from the Secretary of State’s Office. Turnout this year trails that of the same period in the 2021 election by 2.6%. As of Friday, turnout sits at 25.9% in Spokane County.

With less than a week before election day, the Spokane County Auditor’s Office and the Secretary of State’s Office are recommending voters now use drop boxes to turn in ballots rather than the U.S. Postal Service.

A list of these county-operated drop boxes is available online and is provided with ballots. Ballot drop box locations include public libraries throughout Spokane County.

Ballots can be returned until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Voters can track the status of their ballots at votewa.gov.

“It’s your civic duty. I mean, can you imagine if that was taken away from us? So, don’t squander it,” Linebarger said. “Get out there and vote.”