Student Vote P.E.I. 2023 gets good habits started early at Island schools

Eligible Prince Edward Island voters weren't the only ones casting ballots Monday. More than 6,000 elementary and secondary students voted in the 2023 edition of Student Votes P.E.I.

As of 6 p.m. AT, 6,010 votes had been reported from 32 schools taking part, with each student being able to support one of the official candidates running in their school's electoral district.

The results looked like this: 

• Progressive Conservatives were favoured by 43.7% of "voters" and won 17 seats.
• The Green Party attracted 27% of the vote earned four seats.
• The Liberals earned one seat with 15.1% of the vote. 
• The NDP had 12.1% of the vote and earned one seat. 
• The Island Party earned 1.6% of the vote but no seats.

Students at Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside were among those heading to their own polling stations.

Mike Trainor, a political studies teacher at the school, said running a student vote is a great way of teaching kids the importance of voting and getting them thinking about issues that already affect them.

"I've always felt it important for students to be involved in democracy, in the democratic process. And one of the best ways is actually getting involved by voting and by participating," he said.

"When they experience that here and develop the good citizenry… skills, then they will go out and vote in real life. And those are kind of a transferable skill that if they do it at the high school level, then they'll probably continue to do it in the community."

It is immensely important to show the students of Three Oaks the importance of voting.— Aidan Steeves

Trainor said students in his political studies class have been following along with the provincial election campaign over the past four weeks and will be running a parallel vote at Three Oaks.

"It gives an opportunity for us to actually, you know, participate in democracy and see what elections are all about," he said.

Claire Sharpe, 17, and Aidan Steeves, 18 are two of those political studies students.

Sharpe — who helped run elections at Athena Consolidated before she got to Three Oaks — said it's important for young people to understand that by casting a ballot they are making themselves heard.

"It's really important to really put these habits into our students, and especially to make them know that even if you are, you know, 18 or younger, your voice matters and that every vote counts," she said.

"We are the voice of the future and it's important to have our thoughts and opinions heard."

Steeves, who turned 18 in December, will be going to vote in the provincial election after school ends for the day, and said voting as a student has helped prepare for the real thing.

"It is immensely important to show the students of Three Oaks the importance of voting because it promotes citizenship, it promotes being good to your community and good to our Island," Steeves said.

"If we can get these practices in the school and we learn about voting in our classes and through this program, it really does help shape our generation to get these good habits."

Trainor said teachers at the school have their own ballot box in the staff room and they'll be voting as well.

That way, Trainor said, the class can look at how students voted compared to their teachers.