SASKATOON – Young voters tend to be less engaged when it comes to elections and are the least likely to vote. One group is aiming to change that by arming students with more information.
For the last three weeks, the Political Studies Students Association from the University of Saskatchewan has been spreading the word about party platforms and how they will impact students.
“I think that one important thing to do is to relate to people why it affects them and why it matters to them,” said David D’Eon, who is the president of the association.
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The hope is to get more people between the ages of 19 and 30 to cast a ballot on April 4 as this group has been one of the least likely in the past to stand in line and exercise their democratic right.
One reason, says University of Saskatchewan political studies Prof. Charles Smith, is that they feel disenfranchised.
“A lot of voters feel disempowered they don’t know if their vote will make a difference so there’s a lot of that going on as well,” said Smith.
“I would be surprised if we saw a massive uptick in support amongst young people or working class poor voters or indigenous voters simply because I don’t think parties are targeting those voters in any meaningful way.”
However, that might change this time around with changes to advance voting in the province and efforts being made by the association to engage young voters.
“I think for politicians, regardless of who’s representing us, the more people that we have out there voicing their concerns the more likely they are to be accountable to us,” said D’Eon.
Meaghan Craig contributed to this story
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