By Daniyah Yaqoob
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called a snap election for Feb. 27, which will send many students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to the polls for the first time.
The provincial election, originally scheduled to be held in June 2026, was preponed due to Ford’s desire to have a “strong mandate to outlast President Trump,” as he said in a press conference last week.
The last provincial election in June 2022 saw a record low turnout rate in Ontario at 44 per cent, according to Elections Ontario. According to Statistics Canada’s data from 2021, young voters aged 18 to 24 had one of the lowest turnout rates in the 2021 federal election, with only 66 per cent casting a ballot.
“[I feel] nervous the candidates are never quite…satisfactory,” said Saraf Anzum, a first-year aerospace engineering student, about voting in the upcoming election.
She added, “No candidate exactly matches up to what any one person might want. But it’s been getting more and more tough.”
Jaydn Chin, a third-year civil engineering student and first-time voter said the ability to vote is “one of the very few concrete, uncorrupted ways you can participate in your government.”
Though many first-time voters are eager to participate in the democratic process, some said they do not see the point of the snap election.
“It’s an entirely self-serving decision [for Ford],” Chin said.
Matthew Walker, a first-year psychology student, said Ford is relying on voter apathy and his party’s good standing in the polls.
Polling currently shows the Progressive Conservatives with the biggest lead since the “turn of the century,” according to research firm Ipsos Canada.
“If the election was held in 2026, obviously it would also outlast the Trump presidency,” he said, referring to one of Ford’s justifications for the early election. Though Walker said he found the election unnecessary, he is still excited to do his part.
First-time voters who spoke with The Eyeopener said their identity as students influences which issues matter most to them in the current election.
For many students, issues related to transportation and housing are core factors they will focus on as parties release their platforms.
“I commute into school every day. But the public transit that I am using is infrequent and unreliable,” said Walker. He added, “I’m paying too much for rent on my apartment.”
Walker said that he will be using this newly acquired right to vote because it affects his “everyday life.”
Education for first-time voters’ is also closely intertwined with their voting intentions. Walker indicated mental health to be an issue he is keeping an eye on due to his field of study.
Chin said he is prioritizing transportation-related issues, given his commute to TMU’s downtown campus. “I’m basing my choices on the…general fact that I’m a student in civil engineering–so transportation engineering focused,” he said.
Chin explained the importance of acknowledging how his major adds to his political focus. “I probably [otherwise] wouldn’t care at all about his transportation policy.”
Bill 212, which allows the provincial government to remove bike lanes in Toronto, is one Chin said will be important to many students at TMU because of its downtown-centric focus. He said that he will pay attention to how party’s will deal with the legislation.
Based on his own personal priorities for the future of Ontario, Chin said he isn’t particularly excited about any of the candidates running in the provincial elections—instead, he’ll be voting for “the least worst one.”
“As a voter, I expect elected officials to fight for people’s right to vote. So this is one interesting thing I’m grappling with.” Chin expressed.
Walker said the past years under the Ford government have shaped his voting intentions.
“Every step of my conscious life, I have felt that Ford has made decisions that have negatively impacted me,” Walker said. He mentioned cuts to education funding and Ford’s COVID-19 pandemic response which kept Ontario students in online school longer than others across the country.
Walker said his new right to vote is a new way to make his voice heard.
For Anzum, the voting process remains somewhat unclear—she believes TMU should do more to educate students.
“The university should definitely provide more information to students in as unbiased a manner as possible,” She noted. “I need to get started on my own research as well.”
TMU President Mohamed Lachemi said he encourages students to participate in the election, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement. “The bottom line is…to make sure that [students] show up and vote”
He noted the election will take place during the semester, giving students the opportunity to “vote here on campus.”
Lachemi also urged students to consider the long-term impact of their participation.
“Many of the policies adopted by the government will affect them in the future, and it’s better for them to have their voices heard now by voting,” he said.
Despite mixed feelings around the election, students who will soon vote for the first time are confident about the value of participating in the civic process.
Walker believes there is a consensus among his generation that there is a severe lack of action on the issues that matter most to them. For him, voting is the way for young people to bring those issues to the forefront.
“If you don’t vote, you’re not giving [the government] accountability. You’re the last check and balance. You have to use [your vote],” Chin said.
TMU students can register to vote at www.registertovoteon.ca and learn more about the process at www.elections.on.ca.
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