- Keenan Chevalier

the Niagara Falls riding.

"My parents always taught me to vote for the campaign, not the party," she said.

She admitted that at the moment, only one party is really addressing her concerns about climate change.

"Nobody but the NDP is talking about the issues that young people are concerned about," she said.

Chevalier, meanwhile, said it is important to be aware of the issues before casting a ballot. He will then vote for the candidate who jibes most with how he feels.

"I think it is just the way I was brought up," he said. "I'll vote for whoever best lines up with my morals and values."

Horvath said she will definitely perform due diligence before heading to the polls. She plans on gathering as much information on each of the candidates running and the party platforms before she marks her ballot with an "X."

Her reasoning is simple, she said.

"A lot of politicians will say 'this' and then they'll do 'that,' " she said.

Gabrys, meanwhile, said that much like Oliver, she has spoken with her parents about voting.

"They tell me to get the facts on each party," she said.

The group feels they are in the minority when they consider the demographics of the Niagara Falls riding — which incorporates Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake, with the majority of the riding's population being over the age of 50. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 98,125 of 136,295 residents living in the riding were over 50. The number in the students' main demographic of ages -- 15 to 24 -is 15,330.

"I think even a lot of the politicians are 35 and up," Knutt said.

But being in the minority will not deter Knutt from making her vote count., and she said there are plenty of other people her age who will also be voting for the first time.

"Now being 18, I'll be voting and I know a lot of other people who will be voting, too."

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The upcoming provincial election will represent the first time heading to the polls for some. The Fort Erie Post talked to a group of Greater Fort Erie Secondary School students about what it means to them.