CANADA — If you are looking for a great way to engage students in the federal election next fall, teachers and other school leaders are able to register their school or class for Student Vote Canada 2019. It is a free program which helps to educate students on democracy and the Canadian voting process. It is open to schools across Canada.
Election time presents a unique learning opportunities for students, and is the perfect time to encourage active citizenship, according to Elections Canada. They also state they are committed to helping educate on the topics of elections and democracy.
Elections Canada said they have engaged CIVIX to deliver the Student Vote program for the October 2019 federal election. Student Vote is a parallel election program that takes place at the same time as the federal election and is said to be a great way to help students exercise their right to vote in the future.
More than one million students from 9,000 schools are expected to take part in Student Vote Canada 2019, says Elections Canada.
This program offers experiential learning opportunities. Elections Canada states, students research the party platforms and discuss issues that are important to their electoral district and to the country as a whole. On Student Vote day, they cast their ballots for the actual candidates running in their school’s riding. Students play the role of election officials, learning firsthand about how the federal election process works.
After the polls have closed, the results will be published by Elections Canada and teachers will be able to compare their students’ choices with the actual election results.
Elections Canada has supported Student Vote since 2004. After the 2015 federal election, they commissioned an independent study to evaluate the program. The results showed 98 per cent of teachers who had participated in the program would participate in Student Vote again in the future.
Eligible persons can register their class or school at www.studentvote.ca/canada or by calling 1-866-488-8775.
