By Jenn Watt

Along with winning back his seat in the House of Commons in the Oct. 21 election Jamie Schmale also took first place in Student Vote an exercise conducted at schools across the riding as part of a larger Canada-wide initiative.

At Haliburton Highlands Secondary School Schmale a Conservative received 89 votes or just under 35 per cent. NDP’s Barbara Doyle came in second with 24 per cent of the vote followed by Elizabeth Fraser of the Green Party and Judi Forbes Liberal. Gene Balfour of the People’s Party of Canada came in last place.

At HHSS students in the school’s civics classes conducted the election bringing ballots and voting screens to classrooms.

Trista Greer a student in the Grade 11/12 drama class said that climate change was a factor in who she cast a ballot for. She said she was inspired by videos of activist Greta Thunberg.

Codie Wilkinson in the same class said that the cost of education was on his mind as he voted and that students don’t want to be deep in debt if they choose postsecondary education.

When all of the votes were tallied from participating schools across Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Schmale received nearly the same result as at HHSS with just less than 35 per cent of the vote. Doyle received more than 21 per cent Fraser more than 19 per cent Forbes more than 16 per cent and Balfour seven per cent.

Canadawide more than 1.1 million elementary and secondary school students took part in Student Vote casting 22.3 per cent of ballots for the Liberals which would have given them 110 seats. The NDP received nearly 25 per cent of the vote which would have amounted to 99 seats the Conservatives 25 per cent and 94 seats; the Greens just over 18 per cent and 28 seats; and the Bloc with less than two per cent and nine seats.