If Kootenay Central students had their way, the riding would have a different MLA, with Conservative Gordon Skulnec edging out Green candidate Nicole Charlwood by just three votes in a mock election.
According to Student Vote, 601 ballots were returned in Kootenay Central. Skulnec received 194 votes, or 32.28 per cent, while Charlwood earned 191 votes, or 31.78 per cent. NDP incumbent Brittny Anderson finished third with 141 votes, followed by OneBC candidate Hunter Corrigal with 75.
That differs from the provincial election, where Anderson won re-election in Kootenay Central, finishing ahead of Skulnec and Charlwood, according to Elections BC results.
Student Vote is an experiential civic literacy program run by CIVIX in partnership with Elections BC for the 2026 provincial election. It gives students under voting age an opportunity to learn about democracy and the electoral process by casting ballots for the official candidates in a parallel election.
Results also varied between participating schools across the riding.
In Nelson, Anderson led at Rosemont Elementary, receiving 15 of 31 votes, or 48.39 per cent. Charlwood finished second with 10 votes, while Skulnec received four.
At South Nelson Elementary, Charlwood led with 17 of 25 votes, or 68 per cent. Anderson received seven votes, while Skulnec did not receive any.
At Blewett Elementary, Anderson finished first with 10 of 25 votes, or 40 per cent. Charlwood and Skulnec each received six votes.
At Crawford Bay Elementary-Secondary School, Charlwood received 26 of 38 votes, or 68.42 per cent. Skulnec received eight votes, while Anderson received three.
At Nakusp Elementary, Charlwood led with 32 of 87 votes, or 36.78 per cent. Skulnec received 24 votes, Anderson 21 and Corrigal 10.
At Kootenay River Secondary School in Creston, Skulnec finished first with 76 of 233 votes, or 32.62 per cent. Charlwood followed with 60 votes, Anderson with 52 and Corrigal with 45.
At Wildflower School in Creston, Corrigal received three of the four reported votes, with Skulnec receiving the other ballot.
The results reflect only students who participated in the mock election.
Ballots were also distributed to students at L.V. Rogers Secondary, Nakusp Secondary, Salmo Secondary and Trafalgar Middle School, but results from those schools have not been reported.
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