CREDIT: STEPHANIE LAI
Over 200 people came to the advance poll on October 16 to vote. How many will come out on October 27?

Residents across London are casting their votes on October 27 in the municipal election.

The area in front of Oasis will turn into a polling station on that day, but according to City Clerk Cathy Saunders, Fanshawe wasn’t originally on the city’s radar to be a station.

“[Fanshawe] was not our first choice,” said Saunders. “On election day it’s only people who live in that ward [that] can vote in that location. I’m not sure that people who do not go to Fanshawe will necessarily be comfortable going to Fanshawe.”

It was a poor voting turnout that originally kept Saunders skeptical about putting a poll on campus.

“In 2010 the turnout at advance polls at Fanshawe [were] very poor,” she said. “I think we only had 40 students vote.”

Fanshawe Student Union President Matt Stewart was determined to have it on campus.

“Over the summer we only had 60 people in residence out of a possible 1,200,” said Stewart. “We still had 30 people out to vote, which I’m pushing as a 50 per cent voter turnout.”

“We got [voting stations] back, we’ll just be under a watchful eye. That’s why I’m pushing so hard for this election because obviously having an election poll sitting here on campus both [for the advance poll] and October 27 is going to be beneficial for students.”

Stewart hopes the convenience factor of having a poll on campus will help with turnout.

“If you have students that are having to walk 10 minutes to go to a voting station, no one’s going to go,” he said. “If it’s sitting outside of their favourite eatery on campus then it’s going to be right there in their face.”

This is the first time Fanshawe will be a voting station in Ward 3 for a municipal election.

Stewart says the FSU has been taking baby steps toward encouraging students to come out to vote like drafting a letter, which proves residency for residence students.

“We’re printing out letters for anyone [in residence] who’s over 18 and we will be putting it in their mailbox and also sending it out electronically,” he said. “[It’s a good idea] because students in residence can’t vote and they don’t have utility bills even if they wanted to.”

“Elections for students in this demographic is about convenience.”

Saunders revealed that advance poll voter turnout totaled 220. Stewart’s hoping for 400 after voting on October 27.

“He better have a pretty good turnout,” said Saunders with a laugh. “He promised he would.”

“I’m not going to say we’ve already made our goal,” he said. “I’m not going to back down from the hard work I’ve put behind this … I’m not going to back down even if we get 500. The more voters we get out the better.”