Although voting in the federal election is a few years away for some students, they still had the opportunity to have their say.
Bonnyville Centralized High School (BCHS), H.E. Bourgoin Middle School, and Dr. Bernard Brosseau School joined more than 9,500 other Canadian schools in the CIVIX Student Vote last week.
After getting informed about the local candidates and their platforms, students cast their ballots for who they thought would best represent them as Lakeland MP.
When H.E.B. headed to the polls on Friday, Oct. 18, voters were well-informed on the names listed on the ballot.
“All the teachers in our school have been busy talking about the candidates, their choices for the election, having discussions, and they had the opportunity to vote for who would best represent them,” explained H.E.B. teacher Vonda Worthman.
Grade 6 student Allee Kirkendall admitted prior to learning about it in school, she didn’t know too much about the federal election, but she was glad she had that opportunity with her classmates.
“I had no clue what voting was, so it was cool to learn about it. It’s cool to see what other people are thinking about doing,” she said.
Fellow Grade 6 student Kayci Middagh thought it was important to participate “so that when we’re legal age, we can know how to vote.”
Worthman’s class was in charge of organizing the school’s Student Vote, and were briefed about the election process from when it’s called to counting the final ballot.
“It’s part of the Grade 6 curriculum,” Worthman noted. “Voting, nominations, how to become involved in the voting process, and the actual election process. I love when there’s an election during the school year, it’s so fun because it’s relatable to them. They see it on the news, they talk about it at home, and there’s just a connection between school, home, and real life.”
After learning about the proper election procedure and what each party stands for, Grade 6 student Wylie Tomm was excited to cast his vote.
“I just (chose) who I thought would be the best fit,” he said.
The discussion may have started in the classroom, but many students took the topic home and talked about it with their families.
“I’m hoping that on (election day) when parents get the chance to vote, that their kids can be part of the conversations that are happening at home, and I encourage the kids to actually go with their parents to vote so they can actually see the similarities between our Student Vote and what actually happens in the community.”
Doing the leg work to form their own opinion was a lesson Worthman hoped students took away from the experience.
“It’s important that they make up their own minds, and they understand that they choose somebody who’s most in line with what they believe in, not what their best friend believes, or what their parents believe,” she detailed. “I think it’s really important for students to understand this is a private matter. It’s a secret ballot vote, and what that actually means is they don’t have to share their thoughts and voting wishes with anyone else, however, if they choose to, that’s their option, but not to feel pressured by anybody else. They need to understand that this is their vote, their right, and they get to choose who they feel best represents them.”
The results of the Student Vote were released Oct. 21 after the official polls were closed.
