Elections New Brunswick has set up polling stations at 18 university and college campuses across the province in an effort to encourage students to vote.
There was a bit of a revolving door during the lunch-hour at UNB’s Fredericton campus as many students took time out of the day to cast ballots.
“I just want to make sure that we’re going to have a government who’s really advocating for better environmental policies and better stuff for students,” explains Hannah Moore, a 20-year-old student at the University of New Brunswick. “I think you should just be knowledgeable about politics, especially at a young age, so getting into the habit of voting young is a good thing,” added Colton Walker, also a student at the university.
That’s the kind of attitude Elections New Brunswick likes to see after the less-than-ideal voter turnout during the 2014 provincial election, when 44 per cent of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 cast a ballot.
“I don’t think we realize how big of an influence we can actually have on the election, so I think if students kind of understand how much swag we can have, then I think that it’ll be really good and more people will come out to vote,” Moore says.
With New Brunswick’s population aging rapidly, getting young adults out is paramount, according to Elections New Brunswick. In 2014, the province saw between 64 and 65 per cent of eligible voters take part in the election, which was lower than the previous provincial election.
“We really don’t know if it’s a matter of age or if it’s a downward trend generally in voter engagement. That’s why we want to see it increase,” says Kim Poffenroth, the province’s Chief Electoral Officer. “Their grandparents or great-grandparents, for example, voted even at that age at a much higher rate so we need to increase that number.”
Elections New Brunswick gives students the option of voting in their home ridings or in the riding where they’re attending school.