BC saw a 35.7 per cent increase in advance voting compared to the last federal election in 2021.
According to Elections Canada, 1,104,151 people in our province cast an early ballot this year, up from 813,126 four years earlier.
After four days of advance voting in Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies 24,630 voters unofficially took advantage of the opportunity.
In the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding 29,743 voters took part.
For the Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee riding that number was 27,359.
Nationwide, 7.3 million electors voted at advance polls this year — a 25 per cent increase from the 5.8 million in 2021.
In addition, more than 7,000 schools across the country, including five in Kootenay Lake School District 8, are participating in Student Vote Canada’s election program.
With Canadians heading to the polls in the federal election on Monday, nearly a million students will be doing the same.
Officials say the program brings democracy to life in classrooms, giving students the chance to explore the parties and platforms, debate issues, and cast ballots for the actual candidates running in their local ridings.
They say it offers a unique snapshot of the priorities and perspectives of Canada’s next generation.
Results of the student vote will be released after official polls close on election day.
The list of SD8 schools taking part includes:
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L.V. Rogers Secondary School in Nelson – grades 8 through 12
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Trafalgar Middle School in Nelson – grades 6 through 9
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Kootenay River Secondary School in Creston, led by Student Council – grades 8 through 12
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Elev8 – Homelinks in Creston (17 students physically went over to KRSS to participate, as Homelinks is a program in which students are primarily schooled from home) – all grades
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Crawford Bay Elementary-Secondary – school-wide (grades 5–12 with grades 1–4 helping out)
Nelson’s Wildflower School also held a voting exercise, which SD8 says allowed students in grades four to nine to learn about the political process and the parties’ political platforms.
The exercise was used as a lens through which students could explore their values and beliefs.
Additionally, middle-year students held a media scrum last week in which they role-played as the different parties, and members of the media — students from the younger classes — asked them questions.
SD8 adds that educators across the district and at a variety of grade levels will use the federal election process as a springboard for community-based, experiential, inquiry-based, and active learning to improve civic knowledge and literacy, understanding of democracy, elections, and representation, and teach students how to effectively participate in their community and as informed citizens.
Lastly, BC Transit is offering free service on Election day (Monday, April 28th) to all West Kootenay Transit users, and transit users in Cranbrook.
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