Student groups expect lower turnout without campus polls

New Brunswick students won't have access to advance polls at colleges and universities this provincial election, a move campus leaders expect will decrease turnout.

Elections New Brunswick partnered with student unions to run special advance polling stations for the past three elections. As part of efforts to boost youth voting, it also hired ambassadors to share voter information, answer questions and hand out flyers.

Patrick Hickey, the chair of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, said the news came as a surprise.

"It makes it so much easier for students who have more complex voting than most," he said.

"By taking that away, we'll see a lot of confusion, I think, around voting."

In the 2018 provincial election, students were able to cast ballots for their home or school riding at 18 college and university locations.

But Paul Harpelle, a spokesperson for Elections NB, said timing didn't make it possible with the snap election. He also noted that many students will be away from campus because of the pandemic.

"There's going to be a lot of virtual learning," he said.

Hickey said campus polls are a big help for first-time voters.

"They've never voted before, they don't have the experience, most don't know how," he said. "It made it a lot easier to get them out there."

Reports by the chief electoral officer show voter turnout on campus has risen since the initiative launched in 2010. More than 3,400 ballots were collected in the last provincial election for a 19 per cent increase from 2014.

Overall turnout among voters aged 18 to 24 was also up last election. About 50 per cent cast ballots compared with 44 per cent in 2014.

Students still returning to campus

Student leaders say Elections New Brunswick made a big assumption about quiet campuses as many courses move online during the pandemic. But at many colleges and universities, that won't necessarily be the case.

At the University of New Brunswick Saint John, residences will be operating at 90 per cent capacity, resulting in hundreds of students living on campus. The riding's polling station is typically at a local church a short drive away.

"Students might be in class all day and they might not be able to get on that bus to go and get to some location off campus to be able to vote," Hickey said. "We're definitely very concerned for those students on campus."

TheSaint John campus will also be holding about 40 to 45 per cent of courses in-person, while the UNB Fredericton campus will be mostly online, with some in-person such as labs.

UNB Student Union president Sean Mackenzie said the absence of campus polls will be a "major barrier" in access to voting. He expects students to return to the city and go on campus to access the library, study spaces and services.

"It'll definitely have a negative impact and we'll see a lower number of students coming out this year," he said.

The New Brunswick Student Alliance is working on its Get Out The Vote campaign to help students navigate voting off-campus this year.

Post-secondary students can vote in their home ridings before heading to school, or at a returning office near campus starting next week.

'They need to be heard'

Green Party candidate Megan Mitton said she was "disappointed" by the decision to have no campus polls. The incumbent-MLA represents Memramcook-Tantramar, a riding home to more than 2,000 students at Mount Allison University.

She won the riding in a narrow 11-vote victory in the 2018 provincial election.

"Student voices are important, youth voices are important, they need to be heard," Mitton said. "I'm concerned there will be extra challenges this year due to the pandemic and due to having access in this election to the on-campus polling stations.

"In Sackville, the advance polling place is normally the Tantramar Civic Centre, which is walking distance from the university campus. But the building is being used as a welcome centre as students return from out of province, likely requiring a new location.

Mitton said she worries about lower turnout among youth.

"The students who voted I think everyone can claim they were one of those 11 votes that made a difference."