What you should know before voting for Yellowknife school trustees

The YK1 and Yellowknife Catholic Schools trustee elections have always coincided with the municipal one. Previously, voters had to pick up their municipal ballot at one table, cast it, and then go to a second table to pick up the school board ballot. And I'll tell you, a lot of people didn't get to that second table. This year, voters will be able to pick up both ballots at one table, which David Waselcius says should lead to more people voting in this election. Part of that change comes from Elections NWT running voting for the first time. The NWT chief electoral officer says they had conversations with both the city and school boards about a year ago. And that has now led to this pilot project where we are providing active support to all three local authorities. Now, with easier access to voting, it's important to know what you're voting for. School trustees are one of the oldest forms of democracy in the NWT. YK1 is older than the GNWT. School trustees are responsible for things like governance and budgets. They can hire or fire a school superintendent. They're not responsible for day-to-day operations of an individual school. It's also a paid position. Trustees for both boards make about $8,000. And chairs make between $12,000 and $13,000. Anyone who's eligible to vote in a municipal election can also vote for trustees. You don't need to have kids who attend the schools. Luke Carroll. CBC News, Yellowknife.