The votes are (almost all) in, and we’ve got tentative election results!
Both from the adults of Port Alberni—and from your kids as well.
So, how far does the apple really fall from the tree?
In the case of Port Alberni, these apples might have managed to sway the tree itself.
Students took part in the election this year in a big way, and their efforts likely influenced more than a few voters.
Social Justice 12 students ran a public all-candidates meeting, emailed candidate bios to all students’ families and the entire staff, and made them public on the digital media class’ Instagram account, @adsspress.
“They worked tirelessly and with good humour, often coming in before school and at lunch to work on their tasks, rehearse and give full support to any group who needed ideas and/ or assistance,” said Teacher Ann Oswald to Alberni Valley News.
They likely made an impression on a pretty large percentage of the populous, and it’s pretty evident when we compare the votes of the student body to the votes cast in the real election.
Both the students and general voters chose incumbent Mayor Sharie Minions for re-election.
“Nothing has meant more to me in the past weeks, than the endless people who reached out by message, in the grocery store, over the phone, or just stopped me around town to express support,” Minions said in a Facebook posting.
The voting for council members was very similar as well, with students voting in four of the six counsellors who were elected.
Students chose to elect Todd Patola, Dustin Dame, John Douglas, Charles Mealey, Wendy Kerr and Graham Hughes to their version of the council.
In reality, Patola, Dame, Douglas and Mealey were all voted in, while council incumbents Debbie Haggard and Cindy Solda were also re-elected.
It’s hard to know how much of these similarities were due to parents influencing students or students influencing parents.
But it is pretty clear that when people take the time to research and share what they’ve learned, it can have a big impact on who we choose to represent us in government.
Congrats to all the elected candidates, and we’ll see what the future holds!
