Arielle Kayabaga, London city councillor for Ward 13, is encouraging millennials to vote by offering them rides to the polls on election day.
“We need to get used to voting. We have to get into the practice of voting; we have to start adulting,” said Kayabaga.
Kayabaga is offering rides to all voters but said she is focused on millennial voters because they represent the biggest voting group in this election. Kayabaga says she has heard from a lot of people in their 20s, 30s and even 50s who have never voted before.
“It’s important that we vote for people who represent our values because we don’t want to complain after when things are not working out in our best interest,” she said.
For the 2015 federal election, the country saw the largest voter turnout since 1993, but only 57 per cent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 cast a ballot.
According to Abacus Data, a research firm that specializes in voting trends, millennials now represent a larger portion of the voting population.
The firm considers a millennial to be someone born between 1980 and 2000.
“I think young people really have a lot more power then they might think, and it’s really just about mobilizing that power as a generation,” said Emily Kingsmill, a millennial voter in London.
Kayabaga points out that sometimes just getting to a polling station by yourself can be a barrier.
“I say make it another event. We are going to hang out with people, we’re going to vote and maybe we can grab coffee after,” Kayabaga said.
Kayabaga says anyone interested in getting a ride to a polling station can reach out to her via social media.
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