CNC Student Union advocates for strong post-secondary student turnout at polls

Influence the Vote is a campaign created by the BC Federation of Students, a group of over 170,000 students in BC, to get young voters to the polls.

The CNC Student Union is endorsing the movement.

33 student unions across BC are supporting the campaign, and Aashna Thapar with the CNC Student Union said they are looking to raise awareness for the Federal Election.

“So one of the main things we are using is social media, it’s a huge thing with youth,” said Thapar.

“Putting posters around the school, talking to people, talking to students about voting, about the federal election, is really important.”

According to information gathered by Influence the Vote, Millenials made up 37% of the eligible electorate in 2019.

The paper also states that in the 2017 BC election 56.2% of voters aged 18 to 24 voted, which was an 8.3% increase from the 2013 election.

“So, especially today where students are constantly facing different challenges, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been so many people facing financial issues, issues with post-secondary, even ZOOM calls. It’s hard for so many students.”

Thapar said because students have been facing so many of these issues, it’s important for them to learn about the Federal Election, about the party platforms, and how to vote.

“Just knowing what each party stands for, and what their plans are is really important. Just kind of reading small parts, learning about what is going on with the parties, and having an idea of what they want to vote for and who their values align with more is really important.”