Students cast their ballots
School voting results departs from real outcomes
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, December 3, 2015
INUVIK
Just because they are too young to vote, doesn't mean they won't cast a ballot.
Stryden Hult-Griffin, left, Caden Sutton and Mackenzie McDonald helped organize the Student Vote program at East Three Secondary School. They said it was a valuable experience that helped them better understand the system in which they will be casting real ballots in a few years. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
|
Students at East Three Secondary School participated in the Student Vote program, mimicking the territorial election in a bid to get young people involved in the political system early in the hopes that it follows them for the rest of their lives.
"It helps build interest and knowledge on how to do it," said student Mackenzie McDonald, who helped run the mock election.
"I think that's why some people don't vote, and that's too bad."
A total of 178 students in Grade 6 and up participated, lining up by riding Nov. 24 to make their voices heard, even if they didn't count towards the final tally.
In the Inuvik Boot Lake electoral district, results approached real life with Alfred Moses taking the spot over Dez Loreen 56 votes to 13, but in Inuvik Twin Lakes, the story was not the same.
While in the real election Robert C. McLeod won a spot in legislature over challenger Jimmy Kalinek, in the student version, it was Kalinek who triumphed with 53 votes to the incumbent's 43.
"The candidates should take note of that difference," said teacher Denise Lipscombe.
"These are the people who are going to be voting in four years."
The students also participated in the program for the federal election earlier this fall, where once again, the results were strikingly different.
Although the Liberal Party of Canada and its leader Justin Trudeau did win amongst the NWT's students with 41 per cent of the vote (compared to 48 per cent in real life), the New Democratic Party came second with 27 per cent and the Green Party of Canada with 17 per cent.
The Conservatives came in last with 14 per cent.
McDonald said the federal election was particularly interesting as it coincided with the curriculum in their social studies class. Seeing how the course material was applied in real life helped her learn, she said.
"I liked getting to learn the voting process," said fellow-student Stryden Hult-Griffin.
"And it was cool that we got to vote, even if it didn't count."
For Caden Sutton, part of the fun was getting to mock and elect the government, though he admitted he learned a lot about the system at the same time.
"It made me want to vote more," he said.
"It's pretty cool to get to contribute to who is running where you live."
