Elections Canada has set up a special ballot station on the second floor of the Conestoga College Recreation Centre which will run from Oct. 5 to 9.
The goal of the special polling is to get students to come out and vote. Future Movement, a non-partisan student advocacy group, has taken it upon itself to go around campus and encourage students to come out and vote.
“It’s a one day thing and there’s a line,” said Xenia Liu, a member of Future Movement discussing official voting day on Oct. 21. “But here you can vote for your own riding and not forget about it.”
To take part in special balloting the person needs to be at least 18 years old, a Canadian citizen and know their postal code.
“You have to know who you are voting for and the ballots go back to the office every day,” said Elections Canada official Shelia Karl who was supervising voting at the college.
When voting a student’s postal code gets looked up in a computer and the candidates of the riding come up. The person then physically writes the candidate’s name down on paper and submits it in the ballot box, said Karl.
If the person is not registered to vote they can be registered at the college.
This voting system is different because at stations in the student’s home riding all the information is set up; but at the special ballot spot the person has to know their postal code.
“People have liked the idea of voting here because they live on residence,” said Liu.
The special balloting ends at the college on Wednesday. The next chance to vote is on election day on Oct. 21.
