It’s a chance for Brandon youth to learn about democracy and how they can shape the future of the city.
On Tuesday, École secondaire Neelin High School students participated in a mock election for the mayor, councillors and school board trustee candidates in the 2026 municipal election.
“It was interesting to learn about the ballot process and what is acceptable and not acceptable when voting,” said student Daune Piwniuk-Chrupalo.
Kerri Malazdrewicz, who runs the mock student vote at the school, said students can be frightened by the process of voting.
“It can be a really scary thing if they have never voted a day in their life, so I think we helped break down those barriers in that aspect.”
The student vote extended beyond the ballot, with classes discussing issues affecting their community.
Student Daniela Velez said she learned how the needs of a community can change over time.
“The needs of a community today may be very different from what they were 20 years ago, 10 years ago or even a year ago.”
Velez also said Brandon has to respond to challenges facing other Canadian cities.
“If the nation is facing, let’s say, housing problems or infrastructural problems, then it might happen here. Not saying that it will happen, but some of those things, if they’re occurring in other places, they might occur here.”
Through discussions and engagement at the school, Malazdrewicz hopes to see voter turnout improve among youth after roughly 17 per cent of Brandon’s population voted in the last municipal election.
“We have shown and explained to these kids that these votes aren’t for their parents, but also for them and the next generation.”
Velez believes more young people are interested in voting now than ever before.
“I feel like more people want to vote now than a few years ago. As we grow up, we start noticing more issues and want to make changes, not just for ourselves, but for our future children, our families and people in general.”
Discussions have also arisen about lowering the required voting age in Canada to 16, but Piwniuk-Chrupalo said this could have mixed results.
“It gets them that foot in the door, and then they can have a say in who they want leading, but they could also easily misuse their vote if they aren’t serious.”
Voting for Brandon’s municipal election begins on Wednesday. More details can be found here.
