Anyone can vote on the UW campus from October 5 to October 9. One pollig booth will be in SLC 2135 and the other in MC 2037A.
Special polls like these are designed specifically for students, permitting them to vote for candidates in their electoral district from school.
In other words, if they normally reside in a different Canadian province, they can vote for a candidate in that riding.
Three voting locations will be serving the UW campus for students living on residence. On-campus polling on election day will be hosted in SLC, V1, and Beck Hall (UWP).
Satellite campuses like Cambridge and Stratford would be served by electoral district in which they exist.
There will also be a special poll that will serve the students at WLU. Students at the Conestoga College will be served from the WLU’s voting location.
The Returning Office has been working with WUSA and the Graduate Students Association (GSA) since last spring.
There will be campaigns across campus to promote the opportunity to vote with specific information on voting dates, locations, and times.
There will be a special booth with two Returning Office staff at the Campus Life Fair, on Wednesday, September 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SLC Great Hall.
WUSA will also be using their social channels to share information to discuss student priorities.
They have also joined students across the country in the writing of a national letter to federal party leaders, highlighting topics most important to students.
This letter represents the interests of over 900,000 post-secondary students across Canada and can be found on www.studentsvote.ca.
In 2015, the UW student voting at special polling locations accounted for four per cent of the vote across Canada at similar special voting locations designed for students to be able to vote for local or national candidates.
In 2015, an 18 per cent increase was also observed in voters aged 18-24 when compared to the 2011 voter turnout.
Recent studies show that Canadians aged 18-38 make up the biggest group of eligible voters, with youth more politically engaged than any other generation.
“We saw some challenges with the provincial election and are ensuring that as we move forward, information is provided in advance.
We will continue to effectively advocate that voting be as accessible as possible. Our generation needs something to get excited about.
We’re hoping party leaders give us something to vote for.
As the student voice, WUSA can encourage students to get out and vote, but students still need a reason to vote that goes far beyond what any poster (no matter how informative) can convey.
Turnout is dependent on candidates who ensure students are taken into account in their campaign; they need to engage with student voters by connecting with us in the places where we’re discussing politics, which typically means through non-traditional forums” Fayza Ibrahim, Provincial & Federal Affairs Commissioner of WUSA, said.
The special polls will be held during the following hours: October 5, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Oct. 6, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Oct. 7 to 9 between 10 a.m. and 10.30 p.m.
