BY: ALEX HO, VP COMMUNICATIONS, ASA

This is the second article in a series on the upcoming provincial elections, encouraging students to get involved with provincial politics and civil politics in general. The first article can be read here. 

What’s up AUGangstars?

There has been a lot of talk these days about the upcoming provincial elections. When is it? Where is it? How do I get involved?

Well… no need to worry, we are here to answer all your questions!

The election will be called by the Lieutenant Governor, Lois Mitchell (since 2015), and will consist of a 28 day election period where the political parties will be campaigning to try and win your vote. This is a crucial time of year for all eligible voters to engage with provincial politics and help to decide who will be leading the province for the next four years. Although the election has not yet been called, we know it will take place this year sometime between March 1 and May 31 in 2019… SO KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!

What Can I Do Between Now and Then?

We highly suggest you register to vote in advance! You may already be registered, but WHO KNOWS (you should know)?! Better safe than sorry so don’t be silly and check your eligibility. You can check or even register to vote by visiting voterlink.ab.ca. Once you have checked your voter eligibility or have registered it is important to know what riding you will be voting in. Lucky for you, this can be found also be found on the same page.

Education is key!

You will need to review the political parties and all eligible candidates in your home riding. Their platforms will outline many important objectives they will work towards in hopes of bettering your community. Knowing what each party values and what changes you would like to see in your community will greatly influence your voter choice and leave you feeling more confident in your vote! If that’s too much, you can also take a fun little quiz and see how your values align with the various political parties! EXCITINGGGGGGGG!!!!! 

Although understanding what each party is trying to offer you as an active member in government, it is important to also think about what you as an individual would like to see. Public education, post secondary education, taxes, health programs, construction / infrastructure, community opportunities, and many other things are key targets that affect you immediately; not only as a student, but also as a functioning member in society. These are all important issues that should be on your mind as you review the parties, their platforms and what promises are being brought forward in their potential leadership.

But It’s Only Four Years!

Yes, we understand that their term is only four years but look at how much you’ve changed even within the last seven months in school. Time doesn’t seem like much but when it comes to policies and our everyday lives, things can change quite rapidly and it isn’t always the way we wanted. Promises that parties make are just promises, but for voters it’s the reason we elected them in the first place. That means it’s our job as a community to hold our elected government accountable and to choose the future that we want. Four years can go by extremely quickly, which means that the government also has to efficiently bring change, the details of which should be outlined in detail provided by their platform. The time is now and it’s our right to vote, our right to shape the future and our need to ensure that government follows a mandate that we want!