August 16, 2015 e-bulletin

Highlights
- Launch of the 2015 National Democracy Challenge
- 2015 federal general election
- 2015 Student Vote
Launch of the National Democracy Challenge 2015!

We are excited to launch the National Democracy Challenge 2015.
For the fifth edition of the Challenge, Canadians between the ages of 14 and 17 are invited to submit a video, image/artwork, or text answering this year's Challenge:
Show Canadians how to get ready to vote
Important Dates
The deadline for submissions is November 9, 2015. Winners will be announced in March 2016.
The Judges for the 5th Annual Challenge!
We are pleased to have the following outstanding Canadians on our Judges panel for the fifth annual #NDC2015:

Ilona Dougherty, motivational speaker and co-founder of Apathy is Boring (Montreal)

Teresa Edwards, Director, International Affairs and Human Rights Native Women's Association of Canada (Ottawa)

Rosanna Tomiuk, PanAm Games and Commonwealth Games silver medalist in water polo (Montreal)

Paula Waatainen, award winning social studies high school teacher, Rockridge Secondary School (West Vancouver)
Dr. John Young, CEO, Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Winnipeg)
Our Partners
First-place, School challenge – Forum for Young Canadians

The school with the highest number of eligible entries will win a bursary for one student to attend the Forum for Young Canadians, a one-week educational trip to Ottawa.
Best text – Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Canada's newest national museum, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, will provide a bursary for one student to attend a human rights program at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.
Best video – Encounters With Canada

Encounters With Canada will provide a bursary for one student to participate in its Democracy and Youth week in Ottawa.
Follow the challenge throughout the campaign:
Visit our website democracy-democratie.ca and follow us on social media to stay up to date: Twitter @democracyCA (#NDC2015; #demcda), Facebook and YouTube.
Engaging tomorrow's voters: The Student Vote 2015 Program

Are you a teacher and want your students to participate in the 2015 federal election?
With Student Vote 2015, organized by CIVIX, students participate in a parallel election and vote for actual election candidates using authentic election materials.
When you register your school, you will receive a campaign package customized to your school's needs, including:
- Activity resources
- Campaign posters
- Election operations manual
- Ballot boxes
- Voting screens
- Riding maps
- Ballots
During the 2011 federal election, approximately 560,000 students in over 3,000 schools participated in Student Vote.
An independent evaluation confirmed that Student Vote increases two factors that help students exercise their right to vote once they turn 18: interest in and knowledge of politics and democracy; and sense of civic duty.
Be part of Canada's biggest civic education program this fall!
Register by September 30, 2015
Be prepared to vote in 2015
Where, when and the ways
Elections Canada is the official source of information about where, when and the ways to vote.
Online registration
You can now check or update your registration at the Online Voter Registration.
If you are registered at your current address, you are ready to vote. You will get:
- a personalized voter information card telling you where and when to vote; and
- faster service at the polling station.
Find out about your riding
Using your postal code and Elections Canada's Voter Information Service, you can find out about your riding (electoral district) for the upcoming 2015 federal general election.
Six steps to being ready to vote
Elections Canada's checklist will help you be ready to vote in this year's federal election.
Make a plan to vote now
Did you know there were several different ways to vote? Check out the Ways to vote.
Make sure you have the right ID
Review the list of ID accepted at the polling station on the Elections Canada website.
Social media
Follow Elections Canada on Twitter @ElectionsCan_E for information about where, when and the ways to vote.
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Canada's Democracy Week is an Elections Canada civic education program.