NACI students prepare for federal election

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Published on Thursday, October 8, 2015

By Kira Paterson

The Neepawa Banner

On Thursday, Oct. 15, students at Neepawa Area Collegiate will be taking part in Student Vote. Student Vote is a program across Canada that makes materials available for schools to create an accurate portrayal of what an election is like. 

Schools register online to receive voter shields and ballot boxes and to submit their results after the election has taken place. The results from all registered schools are compared and tallied nationally and by riding, and are shared publicly. 

In Neepawa, the Grade 12 Global Issues class is running the election and acting as returning officers and poll clerks. All of the Grade 6 and 8 classes and the Grade 9 Social Studies class will be taking part in the vote. The students will be required to present photo identification, such as their student card, and everything will be completely confidential, just like a real election. 

Students in those classes have been learning about the different party platforms, democratic processes and the right to vote. The purpose is to educate the younger generation about citizenship and democracy, so that they will be prepared to vote knowledgably when they are of legal age.