Like the majority of Newmarket voters, local students voted to return most council incumbents, but narrowly decided to introduce Ward 7 councillor candidate Nadia Hansen to government.
After the Oct. 24 municipal election, Student Vote has released results revealing how Newmarket schools voted in a mock vote format. Students cast ballots to re-elect the existing council, except for Ward 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz in favour of Hansen.
The initiative supplies schools with educational materials to help teach students about civics and the electoral process.
“The activities are intended to inform students about democracy, government and the election process, encourage research into the local candidates and issues, and foster dialogue among students and their families,” Student Vote said on its website.
Several schools were counted in Newmarket’s student vote, including Bogart Public School, Clearmeadow Public School, the Newmarket Montessori and Christian Learning Academy, and Stonehaven Elementary School. Other schools participated but did not have vote counts for the final tally.
As in the actual election, Newmarket students decided to re-elect Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh, Ward 1 Councillor Grace Simon, Ward 2 Councillor Victor Woodhouse, Ward 4 Councillor Trevor Morrison and Ward 6 Councillor Kelly Broome. But Hansen edged out Bisanz, 21 votes to 15.
Students went a different way for trustees. While York Catholic School Board incumbent trustee Theresa McNicol won handily in the general election, she finished third in the student vote with 14 votes. Students in Newmarket, Georgina and East Gwillimbury voted for opponent Peter Fraccassi instead with 137 votes, while withdrawn candidate Donnie Aloisi got 63 votes.
Meanwhile, Shameela Shakeel got the student vote for York Region District School Board’s Newmarket trustee, after losing a close race to Pamela McCarthy in the actual election. Shakeel got 47 votes, compared to Donald Smith’s 38 votes for runner-up and McCarthy’s 25 votes for third. Jessica Neto finished fourth with 19 votes.
More than 130,000 students participated in the municipal student vote across the province. You can find the complete results on the student vote website.
