Canadian Alliance of Student Associations and Québec Student Union launch National Get Out The Vote Campaign

Today, the general elections for the 45th Canadian parliament were called. Over the next 36 days, students across Canada will be working to get their peers to the polls either on polling day on Monday April 28th, or through one of the other early voting options offered by Elections Canada.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA/ACAE) and Québec Student Union (QSU/UEQ) are now working to mobilize students on campuses from coast to coast in a non-partisan campaign. Student voting is critical in a democracy, providing youth input on the policy and issues that will shape their futures. During this non-partisan campaign, student leaders will be throwing events, hosting all-party debates, and seeking volunteers to engage students on their campus and make sure they know that voting is their chance to help shape the future.

This year, voting is easy for students. Because students have generally not yet settled in one place, they have traditionally faced difficulty proving their address and voting in elections. Fortunately, roughly 120 post-secondary schools will have polling stations right on campus a few weeks before election day, making it easier for students to get to the polls. Also, students will be able to use a wide variety of documents to prove their address, including leases, residence letters, and more.

Ahmad Baker, CASA director of advocacy, is encouraging every eligible student to get informed about how to vote: “With both global uncertainty and massive amounts of federal policy that affect students, we know the importance of every student knowing how, when and where to participate in our democracy.”

The Get Out the Vote campaign will be keeping a frequently asked questions page at getoutthevote.ca/howtovote. If you have any questions not answered by the FAQ, reach out through our contact form at the bottom of the page.

CASA and QSU are also maintaining a set of resources for any member or observer school to use in their get out the vote operations.

To pledge to vote, and get a reminder on when to vote, go to the home page of the website.

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Vote on Campus Opens Sunday

If students are looking to vote, they won't need to wait long. Hundreds of thousands of students across Canada will soon be able to vote conveniently on their campus without having to rely on the vote by mail process—even if their permanent address is in a riding halfway across the country.

Over a hundred different campuses will have stations open from Noon to 6:00PM this Sunday (April 13th), and 9:00AM-9:00M Monday through Wednesday (April 14th to April 16th). Voting is easy at these locations, and Elections Canada will be available to help students with any questions or issues they have.

Students can only vote once, and in only one electoral district. Students must be able to provide some form of ID linking them to their address in the riding they intend to vote for, and there are many ID options to do so.

Students wishing to vote should know the name of the candidate they are voting for in the riding they are voting for, as the ballot will require you to write down the candidates name. The list of candidates will be available at the vote on campus locations for students' use.

If students do not vote during the Vote on Campus program, they can still vote for their home riding at their Elections Canada office until April 22nd or by mail as long as it arrives by April 28th. If students are looking to vote locally instead, they also have the option to vote at their assigned advance polling place shortly after Vote on Campus closes, or on their assigned polling place on election day on April 28th. They can check these assigned locations through the Voter Information Service.