CHESTERFIELD INLET - Students at Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet were more aware of the issues involved in the 2011 federal election than in years past when the nation headed to the polls earlier this month.

Vanessa Mimialik explains how to fill out the ballot to Landon Makpah during Student Vote at Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet earlier this month. - photo courtesy of Glen Brocklebank

The students were organized by teacher Ana Leishman to take part in the Student Vote program.

Student Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization aiming to build the capacity and commitment of young Canadians to participate in their democracy.

A total of three Kivalliq schools took part in the program, with Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik in Rankin Inlet and Sakku School in Coral Harbour also participating.

Students at all three schools had Conservative MP Leona Aglukkaq on top, with Liberal candidate Paul Okalik finishing second in Chester and Coral and NDP candidate Jack Hicks taking second in Rankin.

More than 400 schools across Canada took part in Student Vote.

Leishman held a smaller vote program for her social studies class at Victor

Sammurtok in 2004.

She said her class did a good job using its own devices to hold the 2004 mock election, but the material supplied by Student Vote makes the process almost identical to the real voting experience.

"Student Vote sends you official ballots, polling stations and vote boxes, and the exact same rules and regulations you would follow at an Elections Canada polling station," said Leishman.

"It was awesome to be part of a bigger picture and have our votes included in the national results."

Leishman said her split Grade 9-10 and Grade 11-12 social studies classes did the work for Student Vote.

She said there was one returning officer appointed and scrutineers selected from each class.

"Each class had someone in charge who was part of handling and counting the ballots.

"I really focused on the election for the grades nine to 12 classes because this was a big election and, going in, nobody was really sure what was going to happen.

"So, we had a lot of in-depth discussion in each class about the different parties and leaders, and the different platforms each party had.

"A lot of the kids were really interested in the election this year, especially the older kids."

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