SASKATOON – According to Elections Canada, 26 million Canadians are eligible to vote this federal election. Nearly 3 million of those are young voters and yet this demographic is the least likely to cast a ballot.
During the last four federal elections, the average percentage of young people, aged 18- to 24-years-old, who voted was less than 40 per cent. In 2011, 38.8 per cent of young voters put pencil to paper, up from 37.4 per cent in 2008.
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The highest voter turnout amongst this group was nearly a decade ago, when 43.8 per cent took to the polls on Jan. 23, 2006.
“I think they think voting is for the other generation, they don’t really think it’s for them for some reasons and the other is I think they’re too busy with their lives,” said University of Saskatchewan political science professor Joe Garcea.
According to Garcea, voting to a large extent is a learned behavior and it can take a while for the habit to form. He also noted that sometimes people would rather be political spectators as opposed to participants.
“In that respect it’s a little bit like sports, why doesn’t everybody go out and play hockey? Why do so many people watch it,” remarked Garcea,
“Well, it’s just a lot easier to watch it than to go and actually do it.”
University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) president Jack Saddleback said he thinks students often don’t vote because of the process to get there.
“As young people we have a very technical savvy aspect to us and Elections Canada is striving to bridge that gap but you know as we move forward we have to think about ways to do that.”
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As part of a first ever initiative to engage the younger voter, Elections Canada introduced polling stations at post-secondary institutions on Monday so students could vote on campus even if they are temporarily away from their riding. They are scheduled to close across the nation on Thursday, Oct. 8.
“It makes a huge difference to have something very convenient,” said Saddleback. “As you know we’re now a society that is instant gratification and to have this right on campus here, we are looking at probably a higher turnout this election season.”
Any student can vote at these offices regardless of where their home is. If they live in two places, one while they attend school and the other away from school, a student just chooses which one they consider their home and uses that address to register.
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It’s a pilot project launched by Elections Canada at 39 college and university campuses across the country because internet voting isn’t a possibility at this time. It’s also not on the horizon since officials say casting a ballot on the internet still comes with security and integrity concerns in jurisdictions where its been tested.
What officials aren’t denying is that every vote counts, whether it’s the first one in the secret ballot box, up to the very last.
“They have the right and the privileged to choose who they want as their government,” said Gordon Barnhart, outgoing interim president at the University of Saskatchewan.
“I’ve worked in other countries where they don’t have the right to vote and they’re prepared to fight wars over that and here we have it so use it.”
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