The Student Vote program has become a popular initiative to help young people in Saskatchewan learn about democracy.
It also has a knack for reflecting the results of the actual election.
The April 4 provincial election was no different.
Students from all seven schools in Estevan, and numerous other schools in the southeast, participated in Student Vote for the April 4 provincial election. They went to the polls in a mock vote prior to spring break.
The results were released on April 4 after the polls for the provincial election closed. And they had an uncanny similarity.
“Every single election that our students have participated in, they have voted exactly the same way their parents have voted,” said Cheri Haberstock, the principal of Westview School, which is one of the schools that participated in Student Vote.
The Saskatchewan Party captured 48 of 61 seats from across the province in the Student Vote election, just three shy of the 51 the Sask. Party claimed in the provincial election. The New Democratic Party won the other 13 through student vote, which was three more than they captured on election night.
To the surprise of nobody, Lori Carr of the Saskatchewan Party was elected as Estevan’s MLA through student Vote, just as she was in real life. She captured 368 of the 509 votes cast in the Estevan constituency in Student Vote, and her 69.83 per cent support wasn’t far off the 77.8 per cent she received during the election.
“There’s a reason they won’t allow us to release the vote until the adults have voted, because it’s such an indicator,” said Haberstock. “I think that’s because these kids are learning about it in school, and they’re going home and discussing it with their parents.
“They’re coming in, and they know exactly how they’re going to vote. There’s no surprises, because their parents are talking to them about the issues, and why they vote the way they do. And that’s wonderful.”
There were some differences in the results. Branden Schick of the Green Party of Saskatchewan finished sixth on election night in the Estevan constituency with 88 votes, but in Student Vote, he was second with 43 votes, two more than the NDP’s Tina Vuckovic.
Paul Carroll of the Progressive Conservatives was fourth in Student Vote with 33 votes, Oscar Karkabatov of the Liberals was fifth with 26 votes and independent candidate Cameron Robock was sixth at 16 votes.
Westview had the most students participating out of any school in the Estevan constituency with 110.
“Student Vote is such a fantastic opportunity for the kids to learn about our politics, both federally and provincially, and how … their parents, by voting, can really make an impact on our government and the decisions that are made,” said Haberstock.
Westview students in Grades 4 through 8 participated, and the students in Grade 7 distributed ballots and served in the various roles needed to run an election. They took their duties seriously.
“It’s funny how many kids would come towards the ballot box and would be told they didn’t fold their ballot,” said Haberstock. “We talked about privacy, and how you have the right for a secret vote, and many of them would come up with it unfolded.”
She believes it’s also valuable for young people to understand that when they’re 18, they can have an influence on the decision-making process.
“When students are involved with the schools and they are learning about the issues, they go home and they talk to their parents about those issues,” said Haberstock. “There are some excellent discussions.”
The Grade 6 students at St. Mary’s School also participated in Student Vote. Teacher Gwen Van De Woestyne said it’s a great way for students to learn about government, and it ties in well with their social studies program.
“We talked a lot about why people vote the way they do, and it gave them the opportunity to see that it is a serious thing,” said Van De Woestyne.
She was interested to see that some of the St. Mary’s students voted for candidates other than the Saskatchewan Party, although she added that Carr received the most votes of any candidate.
“We had watched leaders’ statements online through the Sask Votes website, so it was really cool, and some of them really liked what those leaders had to say.”
The Grade 7 and 8 students at St. Mary’s participated in Student Vote for the federal election last fall, and the Grade 8 students served as polling clerks and the returning officers for the Grade 6 students.
“We set it up similar to what it looked like on election day,” said Van De Woestyne.
She believes the students really enjoyed the experience. And while they typically voted in a similar fashion to their parents, they also pick up on the socio-economic issues associated with the election.
“The kids are pretty bright,” she said.
Westview and St. Mary’s both served as polling stations, and so the students got to watch with excitement as adults came in and voted.
As for the Cannington constituency, schools in that riding were among the most engaged, as 659 students voted – the sixth-most in the province. Nine schools in the riding were involved.
Dan D’Autremont was elected as Cannington’s MLA through Student Vote with 456 votes, or 69.2 per cent. It was off from the 84 per cent he received on election night.
Nathaniel Cole of the NDP was second with 76 votes, Patrick Dennie of the Liberals was third with 59 votes, Tierra Lemieux of the Green Party was fourth at 45 votes, and Kurt Schmidt of the PCs was fifth with 23 votes.
