Advanced voting stations open on campus

By Justin Schellenberg, October 4 2017 —

Advanced voting stations for the Calgary municipal election are open on campus on Oct. 4–6 and 10–11 from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. in the Taylor Family Digital Library.

Naheed Nenshi, who is running for re-election as mayor, visited MacHall on Oct. 4 to raise awareness of advanced polling at the University of Calgary.

“I have met so many first-year students where this is going to be their first time voting and they’re thrilled about the advanced poll,” said Nenshi. “They’re thrilled they can do it on campus.”

When asked about why he came to campus, Nenshi said that there are many issues in this election that will have an impact on students’ lives.

“Students are really interested in transit, they’re interested in my policy around secondary suites, and I’ve really enjoyed having that conversation,” said Nenshi. “Right now, what is fascinating to me is students are just excited to vote.”

First-year education student Syed Enan Shah was one of those students.

“Meeting [Nenshi] in person and having a conversation was great,” Shah said. “I just came from the voting polls, so it kind of reassured me that I voted for the right guy.”

Patrick Nelson, who is working on a second degree in education, said that while he may not agree with all of Nenshi’s policies, he appreciated Nenshi’s visit to campus.

“I think it sets a good example for other politicians,” Nelson said. “Students have a lot of things to say, and we do have a voice in the election, so why not come down to the campus and talk to us?”

Nenshi reiterated his desire to get more young people interested in voting and added that he is excited about the turnout so far.

“What we know is that voters are engaged citizens and engaged citizens are voters,” said Nenshi. “Getting people to vote early in their life means you create a lifetime habit of voting, and that’s only a good thing.”

Students need a piece of government-issued identification in order to vote at the advanced polls. They can cast their ballots for mayoral, ward and school board trustee races. Election day is Oct. 16.