Elections Canada has said it will not be offering its Vote on Campus program previously offered in both the 2015 and 2019 federal elections.
The program aimed to provide easier voting access for students and allowed those eligible voters to cast a ballot by providing polling locations on campuses across the country.
According to Elections Canada Regional Media Advisor, Francoise Enguehard, a decision was made when the writ was dropped in August by Elections Canada not to pursue the program due to logistical reasons, saying it was too late of notice.
“With the pandemic we have had challenges in recruiting and with an increase in demand for mail-in voting which led to us having to prioritize our resources to help the most vulnerable of the electorate,” she said.
Enguehard adds Elections Canada had to devote time and people to ensuring voting options are available to people in long-term care homes and hospitals and that those residents are educated on those options.
With the Vote on Campus program not an option this time, Enguehard says Elections Canada does intend to revitalize the program for the next election, assuming there is not a major pandemic still looming over the nation.
With Vote on Campus not going ahead this election, there are still options for students to vote.
The first, by advance voting which can be done by visiting an Elections Canada office where students can ask to vote in whatever they consider their home riding, an option available until September 14.
The second option is to contact Elections Canada either in person or over the phone and request a mail-in ballot.
In 2019, 110,000 students utilized the Vote on Campus program across over 100 campuses nationwide.