TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Even though they are under the voting age, elementary and secondary school students from throughout Ontario will vote for the official candidates running in the municipal and school board elections over the next few days.
Student Vote is an authentic learning program that enables teachers to bring democracy alive in the classroom, and empowers students to explore and debate important issues facing their communities.
Nearly 2,000 schools registered to participate in the 2018 municipal elections from more than 250 municipalities throughout Ontario.
To prepare for the voting process, students learn about municipal government and the electoral process, research the issues and platforms, and engage in political discussion with friends and family.
"Students are driving important conversations at school, at home and in their community," said Lindsay Mazzucco, Chief Operating Officer of CIVIX. "It is inspiring to hear and see the stories of students interacting with the candidates and bringing forward issues of concern."
An independent evaluation published in 2015 confirmed the positive impact of the Student Vote program on student knowledge and understanding of politics and elections, on their interest and confidence in discussing politics, and future voting intentions. Furthermore, the program provides an opportunity for students to discuss the election at home and fosters voter turnout among family members.
Students will cast ballots on October 18th, 19th and 22nd, and the results will be released publicly following the close of polls at 8:00pm on Monday, October 22.
BACKGROUND:
Student Vote is the flagship program of CIVIX, a national civic education charity focused on developing the habits of active and engaged citizenship among young people. CIVIX programming focuses on the themes of elections, government budgets, elected representatives and news literacy.
The Student Vote project for the 2018 municipal and school board elections in Ontario was made possible by the Ministry of Education of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
SOURCE CIVIX
TO VISIT A PARTICIPATING SCHOOL: To capture Student Vote in your local schools and speak to students about the election, please contact Frédérique Dombrowski at [email protected] or 1-866-488-8775.
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