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This spring, elementary and high school students will have the opportunity to cast ballots for the official candidates running in the provincial election as part of the Student Vote Alberta 2012 program.
Student Vote is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to build the capacity and commitment of young Canadians to participate in their democracy. Student Vote’s flagship program is a parallel election for youth under the voting age that coincides with official election periods.
In the parallel election program, students learn about the democratic process and party platforms through in-class activities, campaign events, family dialogue and media. The program culminates with an authentic voting experience in which students take on the roles of election officials and conduct a vote on the official election candidates. The results are collected from schools and provided to the media for broadcast and publication after the polls close on election night.
Student Vote has partnered with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, Alberta Education and the Department of Canadian Heritage to provide young Albertans with an opportunity to experience the democratic process first-hand during the provincial election.
“The Alberta Teachers’ Association is pleased to support Student Vote 2012. An underpinning of any sound democracy is the continuous involvement of its citizens, but especially more so at election time. Encouraging participation in Student Vote will ensure that today’s students become the engaged citizens of the future,” said Alberta Teachers’ Association President Carol Henderson.
To date, Student Vote has successfully designed and coordinated 18 parallel elections. In the recent federal election, 4,300 schools registered to participate and 563,000 Student Vote ballots were cast across Canada.
Following the federal election, Elections Canada commissioned an independent evaluation to assess program outcomes among teachers, students and their families. Main findings were as follows:
The Student Vote program is having a positive impact on political knowledge, discussion with parents, interest in politics and civic duty, which are all important predictors of voting.
The Student Vote program is well received by teachers, who praise the materials and support they receive from Student Vote. Overall, teacher satisfaction was high, with 95 per cent of participating teachers saying they would likely participate in the program in the future.
Teachers also felt that their own knowledge and confidence regarding civic education had increased as a result of the Student Vote program.
More than 60 per cent of parents reported an increase in their own political interest and knowledge as a result of children’s Student Vote participation. The program provides families with more opportunities to learn about and discuss political issues. Among parents who voted, 20 per cent reported that their children’s participation in Student Vote positively affected their decision to cast a ballot.
Alberta students have participated in Student Vote programs in the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011 federal elections, as well as the 2004 provincial election. In the last provincial election, 710 schools registered to participate and 85,000 students cast a ballot.
“This will be our sixth parallel election in Alberta, and we are hoping to reach more schools and students than ever before,” said Taylor Gunn, chief election officer of Student Vote. “Our team looks forward to helping teachers make the best learning experience out of this election.”
The provincial election date has not yet been announced, but registered schools will receive a resource package with free learning materials and electoral supplies in mid-March.
To register for Student Vote Alberta 2012, visit http://studentvote.ca or call
1-866-488-8775.
