Mood Check: Did you vote in the recent provincial election?

Are the students and staff at Algonquin college voting? According to data published by Elections Ontario, the 2022 provincial election had the lowest voter turnout ever recorded. Everyone has their reasoning for why they do or don’t vote. Here are some thoughts from our students and staff:

Name: Adam Doey

Program: Broadcasting – Radio

“No, I did not. I was in the process of moving during the voting period, so I did not have enough time. The process of moving was three days so by the time I wanted to, the voting was closed and I didn’t have enough time to cast my ballot. Hopefully when the next few years come around, I’ll be able to.”

Name: Renay Dixon

Title: Student Success Specialist — School of Advanced Technology

“I did, yeah. It’s important for a bunch of reasons. Not a lot of women in other countries get a chance to vote, so it’s kind of cool we get a chance to, so I like to go for that reason. But it’s also important to make sure our democracy is working effectively and make sure everyone’s opinion gets heard. In my family, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about politics, so I wanted a chance to complain at the dinner table.”

Name: Bhupesh Qulati

Program: Culinary Management – Hospitality

“I’m from India. I haven’t voted because I’m an international student, so I don’t have a right over here to vote. Maybe in the future, if I become a Canadian, I will vote. Right now, I don’t have much interest in politics. I’m more interested in my own country, because I don’t know about the interests over here, I don’t know the people here.

Name: Komal Joshi

Program: Office Administration – Health Services

“I’m an international student, I don’t know about much stuff here. I’m gaining the knowledge so I can in the future. It’s unfair because we are living here, but on the other side we are just students, so we’re not aware about our next steps. I just want to vote. I haven’t voted a single time.”

Name: Ali Albaawadh

Program: Video Game Development – Arts and Design

“No, I did not. I’m going to be honest, I’m drowning in school right now. I also don’t really see the point, and I know that sounds taboo. A lot of people say, ‘Your vote matters.’ I’m a little more realistic and I have bigger priorities going on in my life right now. I don’t really have time to go to the booths. I’m not really a big fan of politics in general. I don’t really think that any politicians are on our side, they’re just out here for themselves.”