We’re still waiting to hear which party eligible British Columbians want in power, but we already know the province’s kids want the NDP.
170,238 elementary and high school students took part in a recent “Student Vote” program. Kids in 1,092 schools learned about the election process in class, then voted for one of their local candidates in a mock election.
Students voted NDP leader John Horgan to be the Premier. His party would hold 60 of the Legislature’s 87 seats – giving them 39% of the popular vote, about the same percentage they won in the 2013 election. Horgan won his seat decisively, taking 55.7% of the vote in the Langford-Juan de Fuca riding.
Andrew Weaver and the Greens would be the official opposition with 14 seats and 28.5% of the vote, more than three times what they actually won in 2013. Weaver received 48.9% of the student vote in his home riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head.
Meanwhile, the kids only gave the BC Liberals 12 seats and 25.4% of the vote. The Liberals took 44.13% of the vote in the 2013 election. Christy Clark would also lose her seat in Kelowna West. Kids gave her 32.1% of the vote, which was second to NDP candidate Shelley Cook’s 35.8%.
Students elected just one independent candidate: Nicholas Wong of Delta South.
This is the fourth provincial Student Vote program. This year, there were 68,000 more students across 326 additional schools participating. 6,315 votes were rejected.
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