Young activists fight for kids’ voting rights in trustee elections

It doesn’t sit right with a pair of St. Boniface students that they don’t get a say in who’s elected to the nine-seat governing board in the Louis Riel School Division.

A petition to lower the age of voter eligibility in trustee elections has been circulating during recess at École Henri-Bergeron in recent months.

Grade 5 students Libby and Helen are behind the campaign.

“It’s really, really unfair that adults get to make ginormous decisions about our learning and we don’t even get to vote for (them),” Libby, 10, told the Free Press.

For the better part of the school year, the girls have been making the case that children aged seven or older should be able to vote in school board races. Their rationale is that students generally have basic literacy skills by their seventh birthday.

Their petition has more than 160 signatories, including Grades 4 to 8 students and employees at their school.

Flanked by their teacher and vice-principal, the students took it to the school board Tuesday.

Their bilingual presentation was met with applause inside the boardroom at 50 Monterey Rd., Ward 4 trustee Chipalo Simunyola encouraged the young organizers to expand their advocacy efforts.

Simunyola and his colleagues’ four-year term will be up later this year. Winnipeggers are scheduled to head to the polls on Oct. 28.

Canadian citizens aged 18 and up are eligible to participate in the ward they live in, as long as they have lived there for at least six months before election day.

Ontario allows students or student councils acting on their behalf to elect representatives to school boards. Every board in that province is required to have at least two student trustee positions.

“It’s really, really unfair that adults get to make ginormous decisions about our learning and we don’t even get to vote for (them).”

Manitoba should follow suit, as far as Libby and Helen are concerned, but any changes require the approval of the legislative assembly.

MLAs recently rejected a private member’s bill that sought to allow permanent residents and students aged 16 and up to vote in municipal and school board races.

Independent MLA Mark Wasyliw, a former trustee, failed to win over colleagues by arguing that voter turnout would improve because schools could promote participation and students would put pressure on their parents to vote.

Winnipeg’s 2022 municipal and school board elections had a 37.5 per cent turnout rate. Only five per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in the most recent race in the Louis Riel School Division — a late October byelection in Ward 3.

It was around then, as candidates were putting up signs and knocking on doors, when Libby first approached Helen to see if she’d join a special advocacy project.

Their campaign has been met with words of encouragement, as well as apathy and skepticism that “kids aren’t responsible enough.”

Their stance is students would be prepared if they received formal lessons in the leadup to a race.

Many schools run mock elections, but the organizers suggested those activities don’t empower students to make change or give them a voice in decision-making that affects them.

Asked about key issues that are overlooked, Helen said students are concerned their playground is inadequate and there is only one gender-neutral bathroom at their school.

“These are young people who are taking the initiative to (share) their ideas, their thoughts around what public education should be and can be.”

“Most students are on the second floor, so (those) who don’t feel like going into male or female bathrooms have to walk all the way downstairs, which costs them some learning time — just to go to the bathroom,” she added.

Multiple trustees said they were impressed by the proposal, but the board has yet to endorse it or commit to bringing their ideas to the province.

“These are young people who are taking the initiative to (share) their ideas, their thoughts around what public education should be and can be,” board chair Sandy Nemeth said.

Parent Anna Weier echoed that sentiment, saying she’s proud to support the student-led initiative. Libby, her daughter, is “a really justice-minded kid,” Weier said.

She noted that public schools aim to graduate citizens who are active participants in their communities so it makes perfect sense to include them in democratic processes “as early as possible.”

The St. Vital-based school division has a student advisory committee, but such entities aren’t required by provincial legislation.

Manitoba’s education minister has an advisory council made up of high schoolers from urban and rural areas.

Asked about whether her office would consider adjusting voter eligibility in trustee elections, Tracy Schmidt called the topic “a really worthwhile discussion.” The minister said she’s interested in meeting with Libby and Helen to hear their arguments.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca