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Students in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows vote for the BC NDP
Students at 15 schools in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows took part in Student Vote, with the BC NDP finishing first in both ridings. Across B.C., more than 110,000 students cast ballots, electing a Conservative minority government in the exercise.
If young people in the community had determined the provincial election outcome, it would have been quite different. As in the municipal election exercise, students at elementary and secondary schools across Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows took part in a Student Vote. The BC NDP came out on top in both ridings. The exercise was organized by CIVIX.
Seven schools participated in the Maple Ridge East riding: c’usqunela Elementary; Eric Langton Elementary; Garibaldi Secondary; Golden Ears Elementary; Harry Hooge Elementary; Kanaka Creek Elementary; and Thomas Haney Secondary School. Hudson Campbell won with 392 votes, or 37 per cent of the popular vote. BC Conservative Party candidate Lawrence Mok came second with 296 votes and 28 per cent; BC Green Party candidate Daniel Kite came third with 293 votes and 28 per cent; and independent Chris Hatchwell received 74 votes, or seven per cent.
Eight schools took part in the Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows riding: Alouette Elementary; Hammond Elementary; James Cameron School; Laity View Elementary; Maple Ridge Elementary; Meadowridge School; Pitt Meadows Secondary; and Westview Secondary School. NDP candidate Lisa Beare finished first with 663 votes, or 43 per cent of the popular vote. BC Conservative Party candidate Doug Morneau received 463 votes and 30 per cent; CentreBC candidate Jordan Simmons received 274 votes and 18 per cent; and OneBC Party candidate Susan Einarsson received 149 votes and 10 per cent.
Across the province, more than 110,000 elementary, middle and secondary students at 692 schools participated. A total of 112,011 ballots were cast: 108,224 were accepted and 3,787 were rejected. Results were reported in 92 of the province’s 93 electoral districts.
Students elected a Conservative minority government, with the NDP as the official opposition. In the provincewide Student Vote, the BC Conservative Party won 40 seats and 33 per cent of the popular vote; the BC NDP won 25 seats and 29 per cent; the BC Green Party won 25 seats and 26 per cent; and CentreBC won one seat and six per cent.
Student Vote is a CIVIX project. CIVIX is a non-partisan charitable organization that helps school-aged youth develop habits of active and informed citizenship. The first Student Vote took place in Ontario in 2003, and its programs have since expanded across Canada and abroad.