15 NOVEMBER 2013

Students at St. Thomas University are collecting names on a petition calling for electoral reform in New Brunswick.

Matthew Belyea and Amanda Gallant, both social work students at St. Thomas University and founders of Students for Democracy in NB, say that our current first-past-the-post system is not accurately reflecting the will of voters. “The process by which our votes are translated into representative seats is not proportional, and that’s an injustice to the voting population,” says Belyea.

“If we want to see change in other areas of our life, we need to change how we are represented” says Gallant. “We are targeting youth and students, but we are by no means limiting this initiative to that demographic. This affects all of us.”

The students will be soliciting signatures for their petition at various locations on campus throughout the month of November, including the Student Union Building and James Dunn Hall on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1-4 and Thursday evenings. The petition and other related material can be printed from their Facebook page (Students for Democracy in NB). The petition will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly before the end of the year.