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From voices to votes: B.C. Student Vote at MacNeill
By MacNeill Secondary School Students
Published 4:33 PDT, Tue July 4, 2017
Last Updated: 2:12 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
By Justin Salinas and Daniel Davydova
Everyone wants their voice heard. That
includes the students at MacNeill. Every four years, an election is held in
B.C., and for every election, there is a mock, parallel election held for
students as well.
This year on May 9, MacNeill students from
Grades 9 to 11 cast their mock ballots and participated in the BC Student Vote
as a way to express their political views.
In the student vote, the NDP won
province-wide with an overwhelming 60 seats, the Greens came in second with 14
seats, and the Liberals won 12. (This is compared to the 43-41-3 seats won by
the Liberals, NDP and Green Party respectively.)
Niki Cholevas and Georgia Faryon were the
teachers that organized this event. “I was told as a young girl by my parents that voting is a privilege, and I
would like to pass on that right,” said Cholevas. “What (students) think and
how they view politics matters.”
This year was the biggest student turnout to
date. 243 students voted. It was also the first time student vote was a
collaborative event, held outside the timetable. In previous years, teachers
ran student vote separately, in their own classes.
From participating, Cholevas feels that
students are more informed. They now know that it’s their democratic right to
vote and that voting is a privilege—one that not all citizens in the world
have.
“It took years and years before every
Canadian (could) vote, so we should take this opportunity to vote,” remarked
Travis Chan, a Grade 11 student at MacNeill. Students also realized that their
voice can be heard.
On the other end of the spectrum, Vincent
Wong, a grade 11 student, voted for the BC Liberal Party.
According to Wong, he “sees no problems with
[the] current system.” His argument was that “while it may seem foolish to vote
based on the assumption that our current educational, health, (and other
social) systems are (operating) fine,” he believes, “it would be more foolish
to vote for someone who proposes to reform our province without having a full
understanding of what he intends to accomplish.” Regarding the strong, young
NDP support seen by the student vote results, Wong attributes it in part to “media
and online influence”.
“Although this is merely speculation,” Wong
continues, “the fact that teens are more susceptible to media stands strong, as
it’s where most of them spend their time.
Additionally, since we have little knowledge
of what our government truly does and its accomplishments, it’s not difficult
to sway our opinion.”
Tanner March is a Grade 9 student who voted
for the Green Party. He believes that the Greens have a better interest in
protecting the future values and opportunities for youth in British Columbia.
“Students have different perspectives on what
is important to them. A variety of the concerns being talked about in this
election won’t become relevant to them for a few years until they become
adults,” he siad.
As to what he thinks led to the Green Party’s
loss, March speculates that the Greens don’t have as much experience and don’t
have as much knowledge about the decisions that directly impact the citizens of
British Columbia.
Although the results of the student vote have
no direct affect on legislation in Victoria, it is a good way to let students
know that their opinion matters.
It also is a wake-up call for lawmakers and
politicians to study these results and understand what future voters are
looking for from the Members of the Legislative Assembly. The students are,
after all, the future.