Student Vote PEI getting children involved in the voting process
About 6,000 Island students will vote for the actual candidates in their electoral district
Students at 45 schools across Prince Edward Island will also be casting ballots while the polls are open for the provincial election on Monday.
Student Vote PEI is designed to get children interested in the election and voting process.
About 6,000 Island students will vote at participating schools as part of the mock election program. They will vote for the actual candidates in their electoral district.
Dan Allan is the communications manager of Civix, the group working with Elections PEI on the program. He says the hope is to engage students in the process.
"Voter turnout among young people in Canada is low. So the goal for our program would be by giving young people a chance to learn about politics and engage in a campaign first hand," he said.
Allan notes the number of schools on P.E.I. that have asked to participate has increased by more than a dozen since the 2011 election.
He says the children learn a lot from the process.
"They are going to learn that it can be a fun thing, and that by the time they are 18 they will actually vote," he said.
The results will be released on Monday night after the regular polls close.