1. Slide Deck 6: My Candidates

2. How are candidates elected in provincial elections
How are candidates elected in provincial elections? Who are my candidates and how do I choose who to vote for?

3. People develop different opinions about society and how things should be run in their community, province and/or country.
Individuals join parties that match their political views and then run in elections representing themselves, and their party goals.

4. Elections
An election is the process for choosing our political representatives (to make decisions on our behalf) and who will lead the government.
Elections are contests of leadership, ideas, politics and power, where interested groups and individuals campaign for our support and, ultimately, our vote.

5. The Role of Candidates
A candidate is an individual who competes for the job of political representative.
At the federal and provincial levels in New Brunswick, most candidates are associated with a political party.
It is the role of candidates to work with the political party to help get them voted into government.

6. Who are my candidates and how do I choose between them?

7. Choosing a Candidate to Vote For:
• Figure out your priorities and positions on issues in your community
• Try to find a candidate who matches those interests

8. What is an electoral district?
New Brunswick is divided into smaller electoral districts (or ridings), which are defined geographic areas
The size of electoral districts is determined by factors such as population size, demographic make-up and geography
Urban electoral districts are often smaller and more populous, while rural electoral districts are larger with less dense populations
Elections NB

9. An electoral system is the way in which voters express their preferences and the process for determining which candidates get to become representatives. Different electoral systems exist around the world.

10. What is our electoral system?
New Brunswick uses a system called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) or Single-Member Plurality – where one member is elected for each electoral district.
The rules:
Voters can only choose one candidate on their ballot
The candidate that receives the most votes wins

11. Some candidates choose to run as an independent and they are not affiliated with any party.
What do you think are the strengths and challenges of being an independent candidate or being a candidate associated with a political party?

12. If you were a candidate, how would you share your platform and ideas
If you were a candidate, how would you share your platform and ideas? How would you try to gain the support of voters?

13. Closure Which candidate would you support and why?
What do you like or dislike about each candidate? Why?
What would your ideal candidate believe in?