The well-known Trailer Park Boys character Jim Lahey is encouraging people to vote in the federal election with personalized video messages, delivered between gulps of beer.

The website Mr Lahey Votes offers users the chance to ask the grumpy trailer park superintendent for his thoughts on election issues.

But a warning: the promotional video — perhaps not surprisingly — contains adult language.

Lahey, played by Halifax actor John Dunsworth, immediately offers a personalized reply in a video message.

There are 60 different responses on everything from aboriginal issues to health care and legalizing marijuana.

Personalized answers

Responses can be shared on Facebook or Twitter.

"You have to vote on October 19 and make this country great," Dunsworth says in one of the videos.

​Two Halifax companies, Nickel Media and Toy Dinosaur, are behind the interactive site, which launched Friday.

Jeff Middleton, the creative director at Nickel Media, said Dunsworth's character has "a lot of equity in a certain target audience."

"And what we used was his influence to help us to get the idea out there that everybody's got an opinion, so vote to have yours," he said.

Everyone involved donated their time and talent to the project, which came together in just two days.

Engaging voters

"We actually had to be really creative because we didn't have any capital," said Rebekah Higgs, the creative producer at Toy Dinosaur.

Higgs said the sound and editing equipment, plus the space where the videos were shot, were all donated.

"This is a way to engage with students and younger people and people that are maybe a little bit more apathetic," Higgs said.

"And see what Mr. Lahey thinks and encourage them to have their thoughts on the process."

Higgs and Middleton hope to increase voter turnout across the country, which was 61 per cent in the May 2011 federal election.

"My goal is to have the highest Canadian voter turnout ever in our history," Middleton said.

The deadline to register online to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 13.