This first-person chronicle is the experience of Anusuya Datta, who lives in Saskatoon. For more information on CBC’s first-person stories, please see the FAQ.

When I look at the ballot in front of me, the pencil feels heavier than it should. For many, voting is just a formality, but for me, marking my X feels like my first real act as a Canadian since becoming a citizen two months ago.

I already voted, but a lot about this voting experience Saskatchewan provincial elections I feel different.

Even the list of candidates in front of me seems short – nothing like the long, complex ballots I was used to seeing in previous elections.

I grew up in India, where democracy is deeply woven into the national fabric. Elections there are grand spectacles, with a festival atmosphere – a mix of tradition, politics and mass mobilization. The streets are full of election posters, the air is filled with fervent political debate and campaign trucks chant slogans. I remember queuing to vote in the sweltering sun and hearing the distant hum of political slogans echoing from nearby stores. It was chaotic but exhilarating. We gathered around the television with family and friends, closely monitoring election trends.

Meanwhile, Canada’s elections seemed quieter and more subdued, but their importance is just as powerful. The contrast between these two worlds stayed with me as I walked towards the nearby school that served as a polling station. It struck me that there was something poetic about this place: schools are places of learning and growth, and in many ways this vote was part of our growth journey in Canada.

There was no rush, no urgency. Just a quiet, unassuming building welcoming citizens to vote. The calm was almost meditative.

WATCH: Four 19-year-olds describe their first vote in the provincial election in Saskatchewan:

Young first-time voters are eager to make their voices heard

CBC spoke with four 19-year-olds about their first vote in the provincial election in Saskatchewan.

School had ended for the day and the excited children spilled out, their laughter and chatter filling the air. It was new to me. In India, schools close on polling day, with the sheer scale of the event requiring all available resources. But here, life followed its own rhythm, with the electoral process blending seamlessly into daily routine.

I made my X on my ballot with a deliberate gesture, feeling a strange sense of importance. It was such a small gesture, putting pencil to paper, but it carried so much weight. I wasn’t just voting for a candidate; I was voting for our future and for the province that welcomed us. I was making my mark as a Canadian.

The decision to move to Canada was one of the hardest decisions my husband and I have ever made. Part of this project was motivated by a desire to escape the fast-paced, non-stop daily grind of India. We wanted fresh air and a calmer pace of life. But it also meant leaving behind everything we had known.

My husband moved to Canada before us and I stayed in India with our child. I will never forget the anxiety that overwhelmed us when the pandemic hit. Borders were closed, flights canceled and I feared we would be separated indefinitely. But we made it. We arrived in Canada on July 1, 2020 – Canada Day, of all times. It was as if the country welcomed us on the very day it celebrated its own identity.

Four years later, my family and I took the oath of Canadian citizenship. As I held the certificate, my heart swelled with pride and disbelief. Years of planning, paperwork and waiting had culminated in that moment. We were officially Canadian.

But the true sense of belonging only hit me this week, when I voted in Saskatchewan’s provincial election – my first as a citizen of this country. I didn’t expect to feel so much emotion until this moment.

On the way out, I picked up a sticker that said “I Voted,” slowly peeled it off, and pressed it to the back of my hand.

Leaving the school, the air was cooler than before and the sun seemed to shine a little brighter.

Although my Indian roots will always be a part of me, I felt fully Canadian in that polling station. It was a personal rite of passage, a moment that felt like a bridge between two worlds. I realized that no matter where we are in the world, the act of voting is powerful: it transcends borders and cultures, connecting us to the future of the place we call home.

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