PEIVoting for the 2025 School Board Trustee Elections wrapped up today on P.E.I. Roughly 78,000 people were eligible to vote across four of seven school districts up for grabs in this election — but Elections P.E.I. says only about one per cent cast a ballot.Turnout rates for school board election ‘lower than hoped,’ Elections P.E.I. saysJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Oct 17, 2025 4:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoVoting in P.E.I.’s school board trustee elections has wrapped up. It was the first time online voting was available to voters, as part of a wider effort to increase voter turnout. (Shane Ross/CBC)Voting wrapped up for Prince Edward Island’s school board trustee elections earlier today, and Elections P.E.I. says voter turnout was down. Roughly 78,000 people were eligible to vote across four of seven Public Schools Branch zones up for grabs in this election. This year was the first time online voting was available as an option, which was part of a wider effort to increase voter turnout.However, only about one per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot — down from a little over two per cent in the last election, in 2022.“It seems to be lower than we hope for all school board elections,” said Tim Garrity, chief electoral officer with Elections P.E.I. “The engagement just isn’t the same that’s there.”Garrity says roughly 1.3 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the school board trustee election. In the last school board election in 2022, it was 2.3 per cent. (Rob LeClair/CBC)Garrity said his team does what it can to facilitate an easy and accessible process — but it’s on the electorate to engage. “We advertise and promote and inform about the election process. And then we pass the baton over to the public and… it’s their opportunity to to use the democratic process and to cast their ballot.”The remaining three PSB zones only had one candidate put a name forward, meaning they won by acclamation. All candidates were acclaimed in the French language school board.Unofficial election results are listed on Elections P.E.I.’s website, and show results listed below.Elected trustees for the Public Schools Branch are:Zone 1: Kevin Rochford (by acclamation)Zone 2: Emily McKeown Zone 3: Peter FullertonZone 4: Karen ClareZone 5: Gaylene Carragher and Andrew MacFarlaneZone 6: Wade Czank (by acclamation) Zone 7: Marcella Byrne (by acclamation) Elected trustees for the French language school board are:Zone 1: Bonnie Gallant (by acclamation)Zone 2: André Doucette (by acclamation)Zone 3: Gilles Benoit and Micheline Gardiner (by acclamation)Zone 4: Ministerial nomination Zone 5: Sarah Bernath and Bryan Burt (by acclamation)Zone 6: Lynne Faubert (by acclamation)Responsibilities of trustees include approving budgets, strategic planning, ensuring schools are safe and maintained, and representing the interests of students, families, and communities.ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.caWith files from Delaney Kelly
School board trustee elections see only about 1% voter turnout
