Students in Yorkton last week took part in a nationwide program designed to increase young Canadians' understanding of their democracy.
More than 4,000 elementary and high schools across Canada registered for this year's Student Vote, an election program operated in parallel to the country's 41st General Election.
Schools are well aware of the steady decline in Canadian voter turnout, particularly among youth, said Perry Ostapowich, a history teacher at Yorkton Regional High School.
"The whole purpose of Student Vote is to get kids more involved in the election process."
By giving students a chance to "practice" voting, Student Vote encourages them to educate themselves on both Canada's electoral process and the issues of the day.
Participating schools are supplied with ballots, voting stations, and ballot boxes that are identical to the ones used in the general election. Student voters choose from among the real local candidates.
"People always talk about how the youth are the future. Well, I think the youth are the present," said Ostapowich. "If we can get them involved and having a say, then hopefully the politicians will start listening."
Ramez Ghabour, a student who acted as an election official at the YRHS Student Vote, agrees.
"I think it's important for the parties to know how the youth are thinking right now in order to modify their platforms, so in the future they can get votes from the youth-because we're going to grow up sometime."
Ghabour's fellow official Kaylynn Boyda said that her involvement in the program has helped develop her interest in politics.
"I definitely want to vote when I'm 18, because I think it's important for our country to have a good leader."
Once the polls closed on April 21, the ballots were counted and submitted to the national Student Vote organization, which plans to release the final results this week.
The results give a window on how the next generation of Canadian voters' opinions differ from the current status quo. In 2008, both the general election and the Student Vote gave the Conservatives a minority government, but the students picked the Green Party for a close second in the popular vote.
More than 500,000 students under the age of 18 participated in the last Student Vote, and organizers expected this election to top those numbers.
