Will these high school students vote strategically? Their ballot is the Student Vote

Roughly 800,000 Canadian students are expected to vote this week in a parallel election for their local candidates.

That includes students at 275 schools in Calgary, and more than 1,250 schools in Alberta.

It's a massive effort that often mirrors the results of the general election, and supports a political debate inside the classroom. The students are voting this week, with results compiled and then released for comparison after the polls close on election day.

"We find that students tend to vote less strategically than their parents, and more with their hearts," said Lindsay Mazzucco, executive director of Civix, which organizes Student Vote.

"We have found that … students tend to elect the same governing party as the general population. But where you see some differences is kind of the makeup of Parliament. You'll see maybe more support for the Green Party and the NDP compared to the general population." 

Mazzucco co-founded Student Vote with her then boyfriend in 2003 when both were young adults living in their parents' basements. The program supports students from Grade 4 through Grade 12 to learn about the process, policies and candidates. Then they run the polling stations themselves to learn the process.

"A big part of the program is that students go home with their newfound knowledge," she said. "So it really becomes a family affair.… The program is designed to bring democracy to life."

CBC Calgary met with social studies classes at William Aberhart and Central Memorial high schools in the days leading up to the vote. We answered questions about the role of journalism during an election, then invited the students to share what's shaping their vote. 

Owen MacKenzie is a Grade 11 student at William Aberhart High School who said he's deciding his vote based on climate change and international relations.

"I feel like in the last few months, the world order has really been flipped upside down. I think we need a leader who can be strong to address that in a good way," he said. 

"I really liked the way [Liberal Leader Mark] Carney, when he was first elected, he went right to Europe and he really shored up our alliances with [French President Emmanuel] Macron and with [U.K. Prime Minister Keir] Starmer."

"He just, right away, made sure of our alliances," MacKenzie said. "He really shored those up and assured that the democratic world order would stay kind of a collective and stay together as one alliance early as Trump is trying to isolate everyone."

MacKenzie is the son of a physio and an athletic therapist. He's hoping to go into law or business. In the days leading up to this election, he said he is leaning toward voting Liberal because of Carney's record on international relations, and because the NDP has less chance of winning in this riding.

For Greg Roney, a Grade 12 student at William Aberhart, the key issues are affordability and the protection of religious freedom for individuals. He's worried about the rules in Quebec that limit religious expression.