I only have one class left in my school program: Effective Oral Communication. The whole premise of this class is giving speeches. As you can imagine, with the election happening, my focus has been 110% on politics. So my speeches in class have been about #cdnpoli and #elxn42.
Today’s assignment was to give a presentation about a topic where we were a SME (subject matter expert). We only had 3-5 minutes. Now when you first start giving speeches, it can seem daunting to go up and speech for 3 minutes straight, never mind 5 minutes. But it gets to a point where that just isn’t long enough. And when you’re invested in a topic, like I was today, the time just flies by.
I am really, really, passionate about politics. I work very hard to make sure that people are informed about our political system AND that they are aware just how important their vote is. I am in my element when I get to talk about political parties, styles of governments, and voting. This is especially the case when I can get other young people excited about using their voice to make a change in our country.
Talking about #elxn42
And this guy #justintrudeau
Love answering questions about Canadian politics
After class today it was back to the campaign office. Today was the first day of advance polls, and like I mentioned two days ago, there has been a huge push to get people out to vote before Election Day. There was a lot of media coverage today, because the response was overwhelming. Elections Canada staff, at polls across the country, were inundated with people who wanted to cast their ballot. There were line ups of 90 minutes or more in multiple cities and provinces. While this is a frustrating experience, of course, it is also extremely encouraging. We have never had this type of response from voters – it leaves me speechless. I can’t wait to see what the voter turnout will be for the country, and for each riding.
There are a couple different ways you can make sure your voice is heard:
- You can vote at the advance polls – this is similar to the ballot you would mark on Election Day. You need to know your advance poll location which you can find out by contacting Elections Canada. The hours are noon until 8:00 p.m., Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
- You can also vote at your returning office until October 13 by special ballot; this is where you write the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. The hours are 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
For further information, visit the Elections Canada website.
And just for fun, I’ve put a little poll to see if you planned to vote. (I hope the irony isn’t lost as I’ve spent the last 69 days telling people NOT to talk about polls!)
The World According to Danielle 