Ontario’s last provincial election in 2011 set a record low for voter turnout at 49.2 per cent of the population exercising their basic democratic right.
On June 12, Ontarians have a chance to redeem themselves by getting out to vote. To the right is a comprehensive guide of everything UW’s Ontarian students need to know in order to vote.
The SLC will host advanced polls on June 4 and 5, and Feds vice-president, education Stéphane Hamade said that is the easiest way for students in the Kitchener–Waterloo riding to vote.
Students who live outside the KW riding can vote on June 12 in the Davis Centre.
Feds is hosting several events in order to get students out to vote, one being a streaming of the leadership debate on June 3 at Bomber at 6:30 p.m. Feds will provide coloured cups for students who choose to show their support for a certain party.
“Post-secondary education is very much an area that is under the provincial government,” said Hamade on why students should get out and vote. Tuition rates, OSAP, and transportation all fall under the provincial portfolio.
“I think there is still a lot of work to be done, [students] can still learn more,” said Hamade.
What ID do you need to vote?
If you are voting in the riding of your permanent address (likely wherever you grew up), you just need a piece of ID with your legal name on it. For example:
Birth Certificate
Canadian Forces ID card
Canadian Passport
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
Certificate of Native Status
Old Age Security Card
OHIP Card
SIN Card
Veterans Affairs Canada Health Card
Student Card
Employee Card
Union Card or Professional License
If you are voting in the riding where you go to school (Kitchener-Waterloo) you need to have BOTH ID with your name on it (listed above) AND something with your address in the KW riding, for example your lease, a credit card statement, a utility bill, or statement of government benefits.
For more information and to find out where you are registered to vote, visit www.elections.on.ca.
Where can you vote?
It is easiest for students to vote on campus. Advanced voting will talk place in the SLC Multi-Purpose Room June 4 and 5 for those voting in the Kitchener–Waterloo riding only. Students in other ridings can vote in the Davis Centre on June 12.
Election Events on Campus
Drink your vote:
June 3, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
The Bombshelter Pub
Free event
Live airing of the debate
Election discussion panel
June 3 12–3 p.m.
SLC Great Hall
Hosted by Feds and UW PoliSci
What riding are you in?
You can vote in the riding where your permanent address is OR where you go to school. So if you live in Cambridge and go to school at the UW main campus in Waterloo, you can vote in either riding.
UW is in the Kitchener–Waterloo riding, and the MPP candidates are current MPP Catherine Fife (NDP), Stacey Danckert (Green), Tracey Weiler (Conservative), and Jamie Burton (Liberal).
If you’re unsure of your riding, visit www.elections.on.ca and enter your postal code to find out which riding you live in.
