Elections N.B. to target 13 university campuses for votes

FREDERICTON, N.B. – Elections New Brunswick will be at 13 university campuses across the province leading up to the provincial election, to encourage more students to vote.

In 2010, Elections N.B. took polling stations to four university campuses, which saw about 2,600 students come out and vote.

They’re hoping to increase that for the September 22 election.

“In 2010, we had bookmarks, Frisbees, posters, that all carried the message: ‘Be heard,'” said Paul Harpelle, Director of Elections NB. “So the idea was to try to get their attention. In 2014, the message is, ‘We’re coming for you!'”

Harpelle said Elections N.B. will also be increasing their presence on social media.

The president of the University of New Brunswick’s Students’ Union says presence on campus is the answer to making voting more accessible to students.

“Students have a lot of unique barriers they have to over come,” said Greg Bailey. “The big one is proof of residence. If you’re someone who’s lived in residence or just moved to Fredericton, you might not have a lease, or a current drivers license and that’s something people take fore granted.”

Students from other provinces studying at New Brunswick universities or colleges can only vote if they’ve been here for more than 40 days before the election.

To prove this, students can bring a piece of mail, a residential lease, utility bill etc., when they go to vote.

“We can’t necessarily make them vote, but we’re certainly going to make sure they know that we’re on their campus, we’re there for the week, and we’re ready to take their votes,” Harpelle said.