FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STUDENT ASSOCIATIONS LAUNCH NATIONWIDE GET OUT THE VOTE CAMPAIGN TO ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO VOTE IN FEDERAL ELECTION
OTTAWA and MONTREAL, August 16, 2021 - Today, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and 24 student associations from across the country are launching a nationwide Get Out the Vote campaign. This campaign is intended to encourage students to vote in the federal election. During this non-partisan campaign, student leaders will be hosting digital events and using social media to engage students on their campuses and ensure they know voting is a chance to help shape their future.
For many years, students have faced challenges in exercising their right to vote. Students are either intimidated by the voting process, feel that their vote doesn’t make a difference, or face barriers such as not having the right proof of residence or identity at the polls. To address these challenges, CASA is running the third iteration of the Get Out The Vote campaign, after two previous successful ventures in 2015 and 2019. These campaigns helped increase voter turnout by 500,000 votes! It is clear that mobilization efforts such as CASA’s make a big impact. It’s important to keep this momentum going, even despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Throughout the Get Out the Vote campaign, we will be engaging students in creative and digital-first ways as the pandemic continues,” explains Marley Gillies, CASA Board Chair and Vice President External of the University of Calgary Student Union, “We are ensuring that students can access as much information as they need to feel confident and safe while voting.”
"Analyses of the last two federal elections have shown that students played a significant role in the outcome of the votes, so it is important to continue to facilitate student participation in elections and to address issues that concern them," explains Samuel Poitras, president of the Quebec Student Union.
This year, voting will look a bit different for students than in 2015 and 2019. Because of the pandemic, Vote on Campus polling stations will not be available for students to use. As a result, CASA’s 2021 Get Out The Vote campaign will place greater focus on other accessible voting options for students, such as Vote by Mail and voting by special ballot at Elections Canada offices.
Gillies continues, “Students have the potential to make an enormous impact on this federal election. We want to make sure students know that voting is easy and that their vote counts.”
Students who want to participate in the campaign can visit getoutthevote.ca to learn more or contact their student association to participate in on-campus or virtual campaign events.
-30-
About CASA:
Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, national student organization composed of 24 student associations representing 75,000 post-secondary students from coast to coast. With its partnership with the Quebec Student Union (QSU), CASA represents a total of 365,000 students across Canada and presents a national student voice to the federal government. CASA advocates for a Canadian post-secondary education system that is accessible, affordable, innovative, and of the highest quality.
About QSU:
The Quebec Student Union's mission is to defend the rights and interests of the student community, of its member associations, and of their members, by promoting, protecting, and ameliorating the conditions of students and those of local and international communities. The QSU represents more than 91,000 members from university campuses across Quebec.
Contact:
Jillian Ripmeester
Communications and Public Relations Officer
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 613-236-3457
Alexandre DuCharme
Press Officer
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 514-497-2602
