Let’s
get one thing straight from the upstart.
I
personally care less about HOW you vote than IF you vote.
I
have a challenge to people under 30 at the end of my tirade with this regards.
Political
knowledge is a democratic value. It is also an important ingredient in
democratic citizenship, influencing public attitudes and opinions and, thus
political behaviour. Please get educated on the
candidates in your area and the political platform they represent, then on 19
October, vote as you please but PLEASE vote. Thousands of men and women over
the last 148 years have fought and many died to give you the right to choose
your representative to Ottawa. To make a conscious decision not to vote flies in
the face of one of the most precious gifts we have as a democratic nation.
That
being said, it is a sad footnote in Canadian history that voter turnout for
general (Federal) elections dropped from 79% in 1963, to 58% in 2008, while the
election for the current government was chosen at the behest of only 61% of
eligible voters.
Every
age bracket votes differently which is why it is important to have a cross
section of eligible voters voice their opinions. Voters over 65 who make up the
majority of people at the polls (90% of seniors vote) voted Conservative which is why the current government has a majority of the seats in
Ottawa. The next highest set of voters are between 30 and 65 tend to vote more
to the left in the political spectrum resulting in the NDP, Liberals and BQ holding
the balance of power in a minority opposition to the conservatives. The
smallest number of voters (37% of the eligible voters between18 and 30), trend
towards the Green, Independents and NDP, leaving Elizabeth May as the sole seat
for the Green Party in Ottawa. In a decade or two, the younger voters will be in the prime
of their lives and paying for the political choices of their now departed
grandparents which are not likely to reflect the priorities or, one could
speculate, the needs of next Canada.
Interestingly,
respondents from age 22 to 29 with household income of under $20,000 showed
less voting behaviour than did those with household income of $60,000 or more. The
young adults in low-income households had almost 50% lower odds of voting than
those in high-income households. Low income was also a predictor of not voting,
with 22.9% (of non-voters) who claimed to be “too busy” to vote.
I don’t buy
the “too busy” excuse.
According to
the Canada
Elections Act, a general election is be held on the third Monday of October in the
fourth calendar year following polling day for the last general election, to elect members to the House
of Commons. That is day, every four years, to get yourself
to the polling place to voice your opinion. If you cannot make it on Election
Day, you have the option of participating in an advance poll which are generally
held a week or two in advance.
If you are 18
to 30 years of age, you are in the age group least likely to vote in a general
election.
My Challenge
1. Do 15 minutes on-line finding out about each of the political
parties. Learn something. Find out which party you agree with the most;
2.. If you are conflicted
between two parties, write to them (they all have contact pages) in either
English or French to find out more information. When you have resolved your
questions, make a decision to vote for the local representative of that party;
3. If you have never voted
before, find two friends who have never voted before and all three of you go
together to vote;
4. If you voted in May 2011
you are at least 22 years old. Find two friends who have never voted before and
two friends who voted last time, and all five of you go together to vote.
5.
Challenge every other person you know between 18 and 30 years
of age to do the same.
See you at the polls!
