HRM students cast votes in simulated municipal election
Posted Oct 16, 2020 02:21:10 PM.
Advance polls in HRM are closed and the next opportunity for Haligonians to vote is on election day Saturday, unless you're a public school student.
Even though the majority of them aren't old enough to officially participate in the municipal election, many are casting ballots thanks to the Student Vote program.
National non-partisan registered charity Civix is working with 145 schools in the province, including 64 here in HRM, to run simulated elections.
Kaileigh Waugh is helping to organize the program at Island View High School in Eastern Passage.
“We get stuff mailed in from Civix and there's a whole bunch of voting screens and ballots that mimic almost the exact same ones as the real election,” she said. “We have ballot boxes and everything so we basically carry it out almost like a real election.”
The Grade 12 student has helped run previous simulated elections at her school.
“It's a really interesting project,” she told NEWS 95.7's The Sheldon MacLeod Show. “I've always been interested in politics, so being able to spread the word and actually work in a mock environment is really cool to me.”
Last October during the federal election campaign, candidates were invited to the school to participate in a debate so students can learn about the issues and make an informed decision on who to vote for, but adjustments had to be made this year due to COVID-19.
“We asked them to send in a short one-to-two minute video of them on what their campaign goal is and why students here should vote for them,” Waugh explained.
She said many of her classmates really enjoy the opportunity to participate.
They'll be voting for the mayor along with a new councillor for District 3, Dartmouth South – Eastern Passage, where incumbent Bill Karsten did not reoffer.
More than 10,000 elementary and high school students in 31 municipalities throughout Nova Scotia are taking part in the Student Vote program for the 2020 municipal elections.
Results will be made public once the polls close on Saturday.
