As Alberta prepares for its referendum later this month, students attending post-secondary institutions across the province may be eligible to vote, even if they are originally from elsewhere in Canada.
To cast a ballot, voters must be Canadian citizens, at least 18 years old and ordinary residents of Alberta. Non-citizens, including international students, cannot vote.
Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, says Elections Alberta describes ordinary residence as where a person currently lives or plans to return.
For students attending school in Alberta but whose family homes are out of province, the decision comes down to whether they consider Alberta their ordinary residence.
“There is that eligibility for you if you’re actually living here,” Williams said, but they may need extra documents proving their current address.
Where to vote?
Sasha Paziuk, a 20-year-old Mount Royal University student, said he plans to vote but has questions about where to cast his ballot.
“I’m pretty sure I have to drive all the way back to my riding to vote, so I have to drive for four hours,” Paziuk said.
Elections Alberta says students who leave home to study elsewhere can choose their current residence or their previous residence (if in Alberta) as their ordinary residence, but not both.
Voters must prove their identity and current address to vote.
A student ID card counts as one of two accepted pieces of ID, and students in residence can use an attestation form signed by housing staff.
For some out-of-province students, eligibility does not necessarily mean they plan to vote.
“I feel that if I had lived in the province all my life, I might have had a different opinion on which sides to pick,” said Simon Mullie, an out-of-province student studying at MRU.
Mullie said he does not feel his vote would impact him as directly as it would Alberta citizens and that he does not feel he has a full cultural understanding of the issues behind the referendum.
Make a plan to vote
With no voting station on campus, students will need to plan ahead.
Advance voting runs from Oct. 13 to 17, with referendum day on Oct. 19.
Voters can look up designated polling stations through Elections Alberta; not all voting stations are open during advance voting.
The closest station to Mount Royal University that students can vote at on Oct. 19 is École Sainte-Marguerite-Bourgeoys.
Expect long lines
With 10 questions on the ballot, voters should expect long lineups on the day, and turnout is likely to be high, Williams said.
“This is about the future of this province and this country,” said Williams. “The future potentially of health care, education and social services policies in Alberta are involved in the first five questions.”
Williams says students can find further explanation of the 10 questions through the CBC news guide, a Calgary Chamber of Commerce explainer, Before You Vote and Lead Not Leave, as well as the Elections Alberta website.
Student leader encourages young people to vote
Mariana Mejia Salazar, vice president of the Students’ Association of Mount Royal University’s Representation Executive Council, says young voters are an important group and their votes matter in the referendum.
“Statistically, the age group from 18 to 24 has the lowest voter turnout, and that is a big gap that the government is missing information,” said Salazar.
Paziuk said students should make sure they understand what they are voting for before casting their ballots.
“I think that they need to do the research on some questions and figure out what they actually mean,” Paziuk said.
The policy studies student society at MRU is holding a referendum information session on Thursday, Oct. 8, in the EA building, where several professors will take questions.
