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Election 2017: Students knock premier off her seat

Kelowna West students voted for NDP candidate Shelley Cook in Student Vote
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Carli Berry/Capital News Rutland Senior Secondary student Wesley Turcot, 15, casts his ballot during Student Vote, May 9 which aligns with the provincial election.

The student voices can be heard loud and clear.

Students in the Central Okanagan elected NDP candidate Shelley Cook to be MLA in Kelowna West, knocking Premier Christy Clark out of her seat in a mock election held Tuesday by students in the region.

Called Student Vote, the mock election is used to teach students about government processes as it aligns with actual elections.

Actual BC election results came in after the Capital News deadline Tuesday. See our web site at kelownacapnews.com for extensive coverage.

In the student vote, Cook took 740 votes and 35 per cent of the riding, while Clark took 32 per cent with 663 votes. Green candidate Robert Mellalieu came in third with 28 per cent and 570 ballots.

The NDP also took Kelowna-Lake Country, as NDP candidate Erik Olesen earned 36 per cent of the votes with 714 ballots, Green party candidate Alison Shaw took second with 34 per cent and 671 votes, and Liberal candidate Norm Letnick earned third with 29 per cent of the vote and 577 ballots.

The Kelowna Mission riding did not have a winner by the time of the Capital News deadline Tuesday afternoon. The actual number of ballots could alter slightly so check studentvote.ca for details.

In most ridings, students reflect their parents害羞草研究所 perspectives in other areas except B.C. said Student Vote director of content Dan Allan.

害羞草研究所淧retty much nine times out of 10, students are accurate except with the provincial elections in B.C.,害羞草研究所 he said. 害羞草研究所淭he students in B.C. tend to lean more to the NDP whereas students in other parts of the country tend to lean and shift with the adults.害羞草研究所

At Rutland Senior Secondary, students and teachers are passionate about politics.

Following a practice test, students filled in their ballots in Brent Applegath害羞草研究所檚 social studies classroom.

害羞草研究所淚 like to think they害羞草研究所檙e more informed than their parents,害羞草研究所 said Applegath. 害羞草研究所淧art of our job as social studies害羞草研究所 teachers are to prepare students to be good citizens and that begins with voting. So one of my mandates is to ensure that my students first understand the significance of voting and then I hope, at least 90 per cent of them be votes for life.害羞草研究所

Student Vote started a few years ago at the school, having students follow different elections.

In 2015, the high school students successfully predicted Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr害羞草研究所檚 win.

害羞草研究所淭hat was really fun,害羞草研究所 said Applegath.

Applegath developed a passion for politics at age 12, when Pierre Trudeau stopped in Kamloops and addressed kids.

害羞草研究所淭hat was an electric moment in my life, he was such a charismatic man with the youth. He wasn害羞草研究所檛 talking to the adults, he was talking to us,害羞草研究所 said Applegath, who shares his passion with his students.

Grade 9 student Iain Reid considers himself to be a well-informed voter.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e learned more or less all the key issues that are important for this election,害羞草研究所 he said.

Reid stands with the Green and NDP parties for environmental issues.

害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e both more people focused than business. For me it害羞草研究所檚 not important how business works out. I want people to recognize that I have an opinion and I want my opinion to change how the province runs itself,害羞草研究所 he said.

One of the main things Reid learned in the class was how a government wins on seats and ridings rather than the number of votes.

Grade 9 student Cassidy Mahoney thinks understanding politics is important because it allows one to have a say in government.

害羞草研究所淓ven if it害羞草研究所檚 only one vote I think it counts for that,害羞草研究所 she said.

Mahoney learned about the stances of each party; how the NDP and Green parties don害羞草研究所檛 support the Kinder Morgan pipeline and how the Liberals have a business approach to politics, she said.

害羞草研究所淓ven if it provides jobs for people, it ruins the environment.害羞草研究所

Both students plan to vote once they turn 18.

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