Political science students and faculty gathered Monday in the Hub Café to watch federal election returns.Political science students and faculty gathered Monday in the Hub Café to watch federal election returns.

Viewing party pulls politics students into electoral process

A party to watch returns of the federal election gave political science students a unique view of the process, Monday evening in the Hum Café.

Hosted by the Department of Political Science and CBC News, the evening advanced understanding of voting from theory to practice, said professor Emmanuelle Richez.

“Students learned about characteristics of our electoral system, the single-member plurality system, and how it can create discrepancies between voting intentions and seat allocation,” Dr. Richez said.

“For example, even though the Conservative Party won the popular vote, the Liberal Party won a plurality of the seats in the House of Commons.”

Master’s student Eric Hubberstey called the viewing party “a fantastic way” to get students interested in the election.

“The youth vote is critical to every election, and having this event for students is a phenomenal way to involve students and youth in the political process — which certainly does not end once one casts their vote,” he said.

The election saw the Liberals retain a reduced lead in Parliament; two incumbent New Democrats were defeated in Windsor-Essex.