For many students at Vancouver Island University (VIU), Nanaimo may initially feel like a temporary stop: a place to pursue a degree, complete a placement, find work, or move through a particular stage of life. It’s easy to see yourself as passing through rather than participating in the civic life of the city.

But Nanaimo is not simply a backdrop to student life. It is one of the places where life takes shape, relationships develop, and memories may remain long after graduation.

You don’t need to own property, live in Nanaimo permanently, or plan to stay forever to have a stake in this city. Studying, working, renting, using public transit, and spending time in third spaces are all ways to participate meaningfully in Nanaimo’s community life.

Municipal decisions affect all of our lives, and with an upcoming municipal and provincial election, it’s time for VIU students to make a plan to get to the polls and have your say in this democratic process.

Municipal government may feel less visible than provincial or federal politics, but it is the foundational architecture of much of our daily life: how we move through the city, where we gather, housing availability, and how public spaces and services support us all. 

On Saturday, October 17, 2026, eligible voters in Nanaimo will elect one mayor and eight councillors. 

Advance voting will be available on Wednesday, October 7, and Wednesday, October 14, from 8 am to 8 pm at the Beban Park Social Centre. General Voting Day will offer 11 voting locations, open from 8 am to 8 pm. Vote-by-mail is another option for eligible voters who prefer to participate that way.

Start by checking your eligibility, reviewing official voting information, selecting a voting method that fits your needs, and making a plan so that voting becomes a manageable part of your schedule.

It is important to recognize that your voice belongs in Nanaimo’s civic life. Casting a ballot is one practical way to influence the decisions that shape this community.  

In Nanaimo’s 2022 General Local Election, approximately 24 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. 

Although low turnout may seem like indifference, it may also reflect barriers such as exhaustion, uncertainty, competing commitments, unfamiliarity with municipal government, mistrust, doubts that one vote makes a difference, or practical difficulties accessing the polls. 

These barriers and hesitations show that voting participation needs to be made more accessible, understandable, and connected to people’s everyday lives.

For some students, that might be learning what the municipal government handles. For others, it could be attending a candidate meeting, comparing platforms, chatting with neighbours, casting a ballot, or simply asking a question. Through these actions, people shift from being observers to participants in local civic life. 

A university is more than just a place to prepare for a career. VIU students bring a wealth of shared understanding that is an integral and true strength of our local community.

Students are more than just temporary users of municipal services; by participating in elections as proactive citizens, we contribute to Nanaimo’s civic life now, and carry forward the practice of civic engagement wherever we live in the future. 

Students do not need to be political experts, activists, or lifelong residents to participate responsibly. What matters is a willingness to examine proposals carefully, ask thoughtful questions, compare claims with public records where possible, and consider who may benefit from or be affected by a decision.

We also inherit more than the right to vote. We inherit the consequences of earlier decisions, and the responsibility to decide what to repair, protect, change, or carry forward. 

We are caretakers of a present that no individual created alone, and our actions help shape the conditions that others will experience. Although voting is only one part of civic responsibility, it is a concrete way to express that our experiences and questions belong in public discussions.

Today, the democratic right to vote is constitutionally protected in Canada under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but access to the vote has had a long contested history. In Canada, people excluded from political power organized, persisted, and challenged institutions to expand access to the ballot. 

Some women were “granted” the right to vote in 1918, but many women remained excluded by racial, status, citizenship, property, and other restrictions. Asian Canadians faced discriminatory voting restrictions until 1948, and First Nations people were not granted the unconditional right to vote until 1960.

Remembering that history can deepen our understanding of the privilege we have when we step up to the polls to cast our vote. 

Students are a valuable part of Nanaimo. The question is whether we will recognize that connection only when a crisis makes it impossible to ignore, or whether we will cultivate civic awareness before then with upstream thinking. 

In chapter IX of his Autobiography, Theodore Roosevelt attributed a useful civic principle to Squire Bill Widener of Virginia: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”

Civic involvement does not require perfect knowledge, endless energy, or complete confidence in public institutions. It does not suggest that one person can solve every problem; instead, it invites us to embrace responsibilities and possibilities immediately in front of us.

For VIU students, that starting place is Nanaimo. We may not remain here permanently, but our present connection to Nanaimo is real. We are not merely waiting to become members of a community in the future; we are participating in one now. 

If you are eligible to vote, take a practical first step. Check the City of Nanaimo’s official voter information, review the voting options, and decide when and how you will participate. Invite a fellow student to join you. Speak with a neighbour. Look beyond the headlines and ask what kind of city your vote can shape, and what kind of city you want to help build now and for generations to come. 

Your voice matters. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.