It hasn’t been easy for students looking to share their voice in municipal politics.
Residency requirements left many uncertain or confused as to whether they could actually vote in past elections. The provincial laws that cover municipal voting even had separate rules for unmarried students and married ones.
Now, the Dalhousie Student Union wants students to know: if you’re a student at Dal right now, you can vote in the October municipal election. And they want you to sign up.
“There’s thousands of students just at Dalhousie, let alone when you consider the other schools in Halifax – we’re a university town,” says Chris Saulnier, DSU president. “My hope is that the student vote will have a big impact this time, and that student issues in our city can become real election issues.”
Mr. Saulnier says that the DSU has been working with both Elections Nova Scotia and the municipal returning office to ensure they can support students who want to cast a ballot in November.
How to register
The easiest way for students to register is to get on the provincial electors list before June 30.
Right now, students can drop by the info desk or Campus Copy in the SUB and pick up the required forms. Students will also need a photocopy of the required identification (the best option is a government-issued photo ID with your Halifax address on it; barring that, other documents such as a utility bill with your address can suffice.)
Students can even photocopy their documents free of charge at Campus Copy, and then leave them there or at the info desk, and the DSU will make sure they get processed. They can also download the form from Elections Nova Scotia.
Full details can be found on the DSU's voter website. Students were directed to that page after voting in the DSU elections this week. (Forms were also offered to offline voters.)
The DSU aren’t the only ones eager to get students on-board in November. Jerry Reddick, better known as University Avenue “phat boy” hot dog vendor The Dawgfather, has plans to run on city council and has also been working to get students signed up to vote. (See: Chronicle Herald feature.)
Mr. Saulnier says that while the registration process will change after June 30—when the provincial list is updated—the DSU will return with another voter registration drive in the fall to get students on the list.
“We want to see as many Dal students at the polls in October as possible.”