Students can vote where they are studying

Post-secondary students who spend part of the year in Peterborough are eligible to vote here in the municipal election, says the city’s election co-ordinator – and if they live for part of the year in their hometowns, they can vote there too.

“They technically live in both places,” says Ryan Matheson, election co-ordinator for the city of Peterborough.

Students can vote online or in person at any voting location in Peterborough on Oct. 22, Matheson said, as long as they’re on the voters’ list.

To get on the list, he said a student will need a document bearing their name and address in Peterborough (a bank statement, lease agreement or a letter from the college or university residence stating you live there, for example).

That document can be presented upon voting, Matheson said; you can be added to the list on the spot. Or you can save a bit of time by checking online to see if you’re on the list. That can be done at ptbovotes.ca, Matheson said. Check on Am I on the List?

If you’re not on the list, you can upload a document bearing your name and address in advance of the election and your name will be added.

Reading week starts at both Fleming College and Trent University on the Oct. 22 election day.

That’s why the city is organizing pop-up advance voting locations on both campuses on the following days:

• Fleming College: Oct. 15, noon to 5 p.m. in the front foyer at Fleming College.

• Trent University: Oct. 16 noon to 5 p.m. at the student centre.

Seneca College students are also eligible to vote in Peterborough if they live here, Matheson said, although there will be no pop-up voting location set up at Peterborough Airport (where the Seneca flight school is located).

Matheson also said students should check the protocols in their hometowns if they’d like to vote there as well.