Christchurch Gelato Shop Turns Election Ice Cream Sales Into a Popular Popularity Poll

A Christchurch dessert shop has turned local election campaigning into a popular tradition by turning party politics into frozen treats. Rollickin Gelato has welcomed top political figures from multiple parties through its doors over the past few weeks as part of its well-known vote tracking project.

The Scoop Poll

Shop owner Jed Joyce started the special project in 2017 using just two choices for the main political groups. Every single ice cream sold counts as a vote in the shop's informal poll, with the daily tallies written up on a blackboard each morning. When a party head visits the store, staff hand out free servings of that specific party's flavour for an exact duration of one hour. To make the menu, a political group must either hold a current seat in Parliament or poll higher than five percent.

Flavours And Outreach

The business is currently offering special flavours for seven different political groups. The shop has also teamed up with the Electoral Commission to help teach young people under twenty-five why voting matters. Marketing manager Megan Grauchstuck noted that this partnership brings in a high number of voter registrations. Joyce spent a couple of months planning the recipes to match the character of each group while keeping the desserts tasty. Joyce also mentioned that these casual visits help humanise political figures by letting people see them in a relaxed setting rather than serious formal spaces.

Context

Informal voting projects like ice cream polls are a common way for local businesses to engage the public during election seasons. They offer a lighthearted entry point for everyday citizens to discuss current political topics while supporting local commerce.