Student politicians are gearing up for the official nomination period in which new candidates will run for executive positions in York’s student union, the York Federation of Students.
Considering past elections showed poor voter turnout, Excalibur compared York’s student union voter turnout with other universities across the province.
Lakehead University topped the charts with 29 per cent, while the University of Waterloo’s union finished dead last at 5.5 per cent. Both universities implemented online voting, a measure that was voted down last month at the YFS general meeting.
York and the University of Ottawa remain the only universities in the province to not implement online voting.
President Mamdouh Shoukri publically endorsed online voting yesterday in a candid interview, citing it as a matter of democracy to make it easier for students to vote.
Data is compiled from public polling or unions who responded to information requests. Ontario universities not included in this data either do not document voter turn out, or do not release the information.
YFS could not comment in time for publication.
Ryan Moore, News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Getty images, infographic by Victoria Goldberg
