A federal election is coming up on April 28, and many students will get the chance to exercise their right to vote for the first time ever! It’s an exciting time, but it can also feel daunting if you’re new to participating in the democratic process.

But don’t worry! Elections Canada has made it super easy for students to vote with on-campus polling stations from April 13-16. And we’ve got a quick guide to everything you need to know about voting this April in four easy steps!

Step 1: Decide which riding you will vote in

Students can vote using the address they consider home, or where they ordinarily live. For some, this will be the address where they live while at school; for others, it may be another address, such as where they live when school is out.

For example, if you’re a student who normally lives in Calgary and will head back West when school is out, but is spending the academic year at Acadia, you will have the option to vote either in the riding your Calgary address falls into, or the riding of the address you live at while at Acadia.

If you decide to vote in the riding of your home address (and not at Acadia), you will only be able to vote at polling stations with special ballots (You can learn all about special ballots on the Elections Canada website). You can vote by special ballot by visiting the On Campus Voting Station from April 13-16 or by visiting any Elections Canada returning office until April 22^nd. The nearest Elections Canada Returning office is located at 495 Main Street, Kentville N.S, B4N 0A0.

If you’ll be using your campus address to vote, you’ll need a piece of ID that includes this address. An easy example is the “Letter of Confirmation of Residence” form found on the Elections Canada website. You can pick up your letter from the Residence Life office, which is open Monday-Friday from 8:30-4:30.

Next up is registration!

Step 2: Register

To register to vote in the riding you’ve decided to vote in, you will need a piece of ID with your address in that riding on it. Then you can register to vote online until April 22.

But if you miss the April 22 deadline, you’re not out of luck! You can register at your polling station when you go to vote on advance polling days or on election day.

Step 3: Make a plan

Now that you know which riding you’re voting in and are all registered, it’s time to make your plan about where and when you’ll vote. Beyond election day itself, there are some great options for students to make it super easy to vote!

On-campus voting

Before election day, students will have a chance to vote on campus from April 13-16. It’s the easiest way for students to participate in the election!

A polling station will be set up in the Michener Lounge in the Students’ Union Building (15 Horton Avenue, Wolfville B4P 2R5) at these times:

April 13: 12 pm - 6 pm
April 14: 9 am - 9 pm
April 15: 9 am - 9 pm
April 16: 9 am - 9 pm

For more info on voting on campus, watch Elections Canada’s video all about it.

This is one of the two options for voting in a riding at an address outside of your Acadia address. The other is by visiting an Elections Canada returning office until April 22^nd.

Advance Polling

Yes, it is different than voting on campus! General advance voting is available all across the country, not just on university and college campuses. To find out where your advance polling station is, enter your postal code into the Elections Canada site. Note that your advance polling station is different than your election day polling station.

You will be able to vote at your polling station from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on:

Friday, April 18
Saturday, April 19
Sunday, April 20, or
Monday, April 21

Election day – April 28

Your last chance to vote in the election is April 28!

On election day, there will be a polling station on campus from 8:30am to 8:30pm, on the first floor of the Students’ Union Building.

Note that this polling station will only be for on campus students. If you live off campus, you can go to the Elections Canada website and enter your postal code to find your correct polling station.

Step 4: Go vote!

So, now you know which riding you’ll be voting in, and when and where you’ll cast your ballot. Time to get your stuff together and head out to participate in our democracy!

You will need to bring either:

• One of these pieces of ID:
• your driver's licence
• any other card issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local) with your photo, name and current address

OR

• Two pieces of ID from this list

And that’s it! You’ve done your civic duty. All that’s left is to tune in to election night on the news and watch the numbers roll in.