Student Vote allows kids to take part in B.C.’s election… kind of

Students across the province are adding their voices to B.C.’s election, learning about democracy by taking part in it…. kind of.

The ballots may not count in the Student Vote program but the issues and people running are real. Kids learn, debate, and discuss, and then get to vote for the official election candidates running in their school’s electoral district.

“I think it’s important because we vote for our voice,” said Cyra, a Grade 4 student in Richmond, joining classmates who will be dropping ballots in their classroom box on Friday.

“I’ve learned it’s good to vote because you want to make life better for yourself. I’m really excited,” Misha told 1130 NewsRadio.

“We get to choose who we want to vote for and what they are doing to change the world,” added Ena.

Gemma is in Grade 6 and says everyone deserves a chance to have their voice heard.

“It feels good because it makes me feel like I matter, like my choice matters, too,” she said.

Dawn Lessoway is a teacher at the school and says many of the Grade 4 to 7 students are quite engaged in the process.

“The excitement happens when they are having conversations at home and then we bring up something at school, they say their family was talking about that or they saw the sign or they saw it in the newspaper,” she said.

“That’s when all the little pieces start coming together, and when they come to vote it’s almost anticlimactic in some ways. They realize how simple the process can be, but that’s an important part of democracy as well.”

Lessoway says the students realize it may be easy to mark a ballot, but you need to learn about the candidates and issues beforehand.

“It’s really your role as a citizen of this country.”

The Student Vote results from across the province will be tabulated and shared publicly and with the media after the close of the official polls on Oct. 19.

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