WHEREAS    only approximately 3.5% of eligible voters on Prince Edward Island registered for mail-in ballots for the 2022 School Board Trustee Election¹, and

WHEREAS    voter turnout was low across all zones² for which elections were held³

WHEREAS    the process of requiring eligible voters to register for a mail-in ballot, and having mail-in ballots as the only voting option,  may have generated voter confusion and contributed to low voter turnout in the 2022 School Board Trustee Election,

WHEREAS    the timing of the 2022 School Board Election, in November 2022, immediately following the October 2022 Municipal Elections, could have contributed to voter confusion and fatigue, and

WHEREAS    a review of practices across Canada indicates that in those provinces where school board trustees are elected, school board elections take place concurrently with municipal elections⁴, and

WHEREAS    the province of Saskatchewan has enacted new legislation to streamline its election processes to hold school board trustee and municipal elections concurrently⁵, and

WHEREAS    in the province of New Brunswick, which uses a District Education Council (DEC) model in place of school board trustees⁶, DEC representatives are elected in conjunction with municipal elections in the province⁷;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the PEI Home and School Federation requests the Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning to work collaboratively with the Public Schools Branch and Elections PEI to hold School Board Trustee elections concurrently with Municipal Elections on Prince Edward Island, reflecting the practices of other jurisdictions with elected school boards across Canada, which include holding municipal and school board trustee elections concurrently and in-person.