{"id":3353,"date":"2024-09-09T11:27:03","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T15:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2024-09-09T11:28:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T15:28:06","slug":"the-ultimate-guide-to-canadian-election-buzzwords-demure-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/the-ultimate-guide-to-canadian-election-buzzwords-demure-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Canadian Election Buzzwords, Demure Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hey there, future voters. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re anything like me, the word &#8220;election&#8221; might conjure up images of stuffy debates, endless news coverage, and a whole lot of confusion. What &#8211; stop eye-rolling!. Elections can actually be pretty cool, especially when you know the lingo. And with THREE provincial elections this fall (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hello British Columbia, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!) there are so many opportunities to be elections demure and flex your lingo. How mindful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, buckle up as we dive into the wacky, wonderful world of Canadian election buzzwords, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">make it make sense<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> edition. Trust me, scroll on and by the end of this, you&#8217;ll be the go-to election guru in your friend group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Election Workers: The Unsung Heroes<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First up, let&#8217;s talk about the real MVPs of any election: the election workers. Did you know that Elections Canada hires around 200,000 workers for each federal election? That&#8217;s like filling up the Rogers Centre in Toronto almost four times! And guess what? You can be one of them, even if you&#8217;re just 16 or 17 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why should you care?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Paid gigs: Yep, you get paid for this. Plus, it&#8217;s a great way to beef up your resume.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flexible hours: Perfect for balancing school, extracurriculars, and your social life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Community involvement: You get to be a part of something bigger than yourself.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.ca\/content.aspx?section=emp&amp;document=index&amp;lang=e\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where can you find out more? HERE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b><i>Scroll A through V (sorry no Z election buzzwords) to get a full vocabulary on all things election flex. <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BE MINDFUL: The language is similar but the rules are a little bit different for each provincial\u00a0 and territorial election, so make sure you&#8217;re checking your local Elections Authority page; for example, Advance Polls work different in each and every province and territory!!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.ca\/content.aspx?section=vot&amp;dir=spe&amp;document=index&amp;lang=e\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accessibility: Voting for All<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elections Canada goes above and beyond to make sure everyone can vote, including people with disabilities. From braille ballots to sign language interpreters, they&#8217;ve got it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advance Polls: Can&#8217;t Wait? Vote Early!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can\u2019t make it on election day? No worries! Advance polls are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on four days before the election. It\u2019s like getting a head start on voting. You can cast your ballot early at special polling stations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By-Election: The Surprise Party<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A by-election is like a mini-election in just one riding that happens between general elections. Think of it as a surprise party where you still get to vote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coalition: Let\u2019s Team Up!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, political parties just can\u2019t get enough seats to go solo, so they team up to form a coalition government. It\u2019s like when you and your friends decide to work together on a class project because none of you can handle it alone. Coalitions don\u2019t happen often in Canada, but when they do, it\u2019s a big deal. Think of it like Avengers Assemble, but with politicians instead of superheroes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Election Period: The Countdown<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The election period is the time from when the election is called (writ drop) to election day. It lasts between 37 to 51 days. It&#8217;s like the ultimate countdown to the big event. The writ drop is when the election officially begins. Think of it as the starting gun in a race, signaling that it&#8217;s time to get your vote on.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elections Canada Website: Your One-Stop Shop<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For all things federal election-related, head to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.ca\/content.aspx?section=vot&amp;document=index&amp;lang=e\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elections.ca<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It&#8217;s got everything from how to register to where to vote. Plus, it&#8217;s non-partisan, so you know you&#8217;re getting the real deal. Also, Elections Canada offers toolkits designed to make it easy to participate in the electoral process (read: voting).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There&#8217;s an elections organization in each province and territory, so head to their official websites for more information about provincial and territorial elections!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Past The Post<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada\u2019s electoral system is commonly called \u201cfirst-past-the-post\u201d.\u00a0 What that means is that the candidate in each riding who gets the most votes wins. Whether that candidate gets 88% of the vote, 51% of the vote, or 22% of the vote, they win if they have <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">votes than the candidate with the second most votes. \u00a0 Picture a race, where whoever runs past the finish line first wins, even if someone else is right behind them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">House of Commons: Not That Kind of House<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forget the idea of a house party. The House of Commons is where elected MPs hang out and talk (sometimes yell) about what should be done in the country. It\u2019s like the ultimate group chat, but way less fun and with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">way more arguments about taxes<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The party with the most MPs usually gets to form the government, and their leader becomes Prime Minister. And no, the House of Commons isn\u2019t decorated like some grand mansion \u2013 unless you think green benches scream luxury. Though a TikTok walkthrough of the house would be cool\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Majority vs. Minority Government<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ever felt like you were stuck in a group project where one person is totally in charge? That\u2019s a majority government. When one party wins more than half the seats in the House of Commons, they can basically do whatever they want (within reason).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0On the flip side, a minority government happens when no party wins enough seats to be in charge all by themselves. It\u2019s like a never-ending group project where everyone has to agree on stuff, or it\u2019s just chaos. If they don\u2019t play nice, we get another election sooner rather than later. Drama, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Partisan Activity: The No-No Zone<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you&#8217;re working for Elections Canada, engaging in partisan activity is a big no-no. That means no campaigning, no wearing party colors, and definitely no political memes. If you publicly support or oppose a political party, you&#8217;re partisan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Majority is a strictly non-partisan national non-profit; we care about making sure youth show up to the polls. Our job is to support democracy, not mess around with it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Polling Place: Not Just a Place to Vote<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A polling place is where the magic happens. It&#8217;s where you go to cast your vote, and it can be anywhere from a school gym to a community center. But did you know there are different types of polling places?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Advance Polls:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For those who can&#8217;t vote on election day, advance polls are open for four days in the week leading up to the election. They&#8217;re held at specific locations and allow early voting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Campus Polling Places:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Special polling stations are set up on college and university campuses to make it easier for students to vote, especially if they&#8217;re away from their home riding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mobile Polling Stations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These are designed to serve voters in specific places like long-term care facilities or hospitals, ensuring that those who might otherwise have difficulty leaving can still vote.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Elections Canada Offices:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Voters can cast a special ballot in person at any Elections Canada office during the election period (for a federal election). This option is available to anyone, regardless of location or reason for not voting at a regular polling station.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Remote Polling Places: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elections Canada works hard to ensure polling places are set up even in far-flung areas of Canada.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Regular Polling Stations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These are the most common, located in public places like schools, community centers, or churches, where voters go on election day to cast their ballots.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These various polling places ensure that all eligible voters, regardless of their circumstances, have multiple ways to participate in an election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration Officer: The Gatekeeper<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registration Officers make sure you&#8217;re on the list of electors and have the right ID. They\u2019re kind of like bouncers, except way friendlier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like at a club, being on the list lets you skip some of the lines, but you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">still get in if you forgot to sign up in advance. Registration Officers are there to help you register on polling day if you aren\u2019t already registered!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riding: Not Just for Horses<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Canada, we don&#8217;t vote for a Prime Minister directly. We vote for Members of Parliament (MPs) in 343 different areas called ridings. Think of a riding as your neighborhood, but on a much larger scale.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fun Fact: The party with the most MPs usually forms the government, and their leader becomes the Prime Minister. So, your local vote really does matter!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Special Ballot: The VIP of Voting<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can&#8217;t make it to a polling place? No problem! You can use a special ballot to vote by mail or at an Elections Canada office. It&#8217;s like having a VIP pass to democracy. Pro Tip: Make sure to apply for your special ballot by the Tuesday before election day. Deadlines are a thing, people!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swing Riding: Unpredictable AF<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A swing riding is a riding that could go to any party in an election. It\u2019s like that friend who can never decide where to eat and changes their mind every five seconds. Swing ridings are the hot topic of elections because they\u2019re often the key to winning or losing the whole thing. If you live in one, congrats \u2013 you\u2019re basically the tie-breaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Throne Speech: Bow Down?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might think of Game of Thrones, but don&#8217;t worry, this isn\u2019t that intense. The Throne Speech is basically the government\u2019s to-do list, read by the Governor General (the King\u2019s rep in Canada). It\u2019s like the opening scene of a reality TV show where the host tells you what\u2019s going to go down this season. Will they raise taxes? Lower the voting age? Ban pineapple on pizza? The possibilities are endless (but seriously, keep the pineapple).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voter Information Card: Your Golden Ticket<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re registered to vote, then about two weeks before the election you&#8217;ll get a voter information card in the mail. This card tells you where and when to vote. It can even be used as a proof of your address when you go to vote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t get one or if your dog ate it &#8211; you can vote without it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voter Turnout: Who Actually Showed Up?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voter turnout is just a fancy way of saying \u201chow many people voted.\u201d It\u2019s like trying to figure out who actually showed up to your party, versus who stayed home and watched Netflix. Sometimes voter turnout is high, and people are excited. Other times, it\u2019s low, and everyone\u2019s like, \u201cMeh, I\u2019ll just stay home.\u201d Spoiler alert: older people tend to vote more than young people, so if you want your voice heard, you gotta show up!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vote on Campus: Voting Made Easy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&#8217;re a student, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elections.ca\/content.aspx?section=vot&amp;dir=bkg&amp;document=vcl&amp;lang=e\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you might be able to vote right on your campus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. How convenient is that? Elections Canada has special polling places set up on participating campuses across the country, making it super easy to participate in democracy without even leaving school. You\u2019ll see New Majority canvassers at a local campus near you, making voting easy, information easy to find and most of all, fun as heck.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Wrapping It Up<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So there you have it, folks! A crash course in Canadian election buzzwords. Whether you&#8217;re looking to work an election, cast your vote, or just impress your friends with your newfound knowledge, you&#8217;re now equipped with the ultimate toolkit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elections Canada takes election integrity seriously. From secure voting methods to transparent counting processes, they make sure your vote is safe and sound. It&#8217;s like the secret handshake that keeps democracy running smoothly. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember, your voice matters, and now you know exactly how to use it. Happy voting!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hey there, future voters. If you&#8217;re anything like me, the [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3353"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3354,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353\/revisions\/3354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newmajority.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}