Voting stations open on Calgary campuses

Voting for the federal election is now open at several university campuses across the country. We look at what matters to Calgary post-secondary students.

Post-secondary students have a lot on their minds right now with exams underway, so Elections Canada is making it easier for them to vote with polling locations on campus.

Elections Canada has opened over 100 polling stations at campuses across Canada.

“The vote on campus program is designed to help address some of those barriers to voting we know youth face,” Elections Canada spokesperson Leanne Nyirfa said.

“When it comes to students in particular, sometimes they’re living away from home and don’t realize they can vote.”

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The University of Calgary (U of C), Mount Royal University (MRU), Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Bow Valley College have polling stations this year.

“I had an exam this morning. I wouldn’t have been able to vote early if it wasn’t on campus,” University of Calgary student Juan Garcia said.

Elections Canada data from the last election shows 18 to 24 year olds have a voter turnout of 47 per cent.

That’s lower than the overall average of 62.5 per cent, and much lower than those aged 65 to 74, with a voter turnout of 75 per cent.

“Right now it doesn’t look like young people are going to be the ones making the difference in the election overall, but they can make a difference in particular ridings,” Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams said.

“If we’re to look at Calgary, for example, Calgary-Confederation contains three post-secondary institutions and that could make a difference.”

For many students, affordability is the key issue.

“Students are looking for politicians that’ll help them finish their degrees and deal with the challenges of the affordability crisis that all Canadians are facing,” UCalgary Students’ Union president Ermia Rezaei-Afsah said.

“For me as a student, I fought for a candidate that has the mindset of ‘for students,’ especially for things like tuition costs,” U of C student Marcus Kasdorf said.

“Housing. It’s a very, very important issue. A lot of students are struggling to pay rent and find a place to live,” U of C student Juan Garcia said.

Campus voting is open to all Canadians.

Voters must bring ID and proof of address.

Campus polling stations are open April 14-16 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Advance voting starts on Friday.