By any account, the 2006 federal election was a fiasco for St. George residence students. Polling stations were planned, then cancelled, then reinstated at the last minute. Elections Canada never clarified what on-campus students, who may not have a bank statement, utility bill or lease to prove their address, could use to vote. Students were turned away from advance polls because they did not have documents that no one had told them they would need.
Not this time around, according to Dave Scrivener, VP External at UTSU.
“After the last federal election, Elections Ontario had no desire to go down the same path as Elections Canada, and they were relatively easy to work with,” he said. Instead, Elections Ontario has been cooperating with UTSU and its parent, the Canadian Federation of Students.
“UTSU worked as a conduit between the administrations of the various colleges and Elections Ontario. We worked to expand the list of acceptable voting identification to make it easier to for students to register,” said Scrivener. “We were able to expand the list to include letters from the dean as proof of residence and the T-Card as acceptable photo ID”
Some colleges have already distributed letters that students can use to get on the voting list on or ahead of election day. If you live in residence and have not received a letter, drop by your residence or dean of student’s office get one.
UTSU also recommended polling locations on campus and helped to secure an additional poll on the east side of campus.
“Overall we tried to make the voting process as simple as possible, especially for residence students who find themselves in residential limbo,” said Scrivener. Fingers crossed.
