Editorial
Karen Graham
Photo: Karen Graham.
The CBC reported this Thursday that in the Advance polls held this weekend over 2.4 million Canadians cast their vote, a number exceeding the previous advance poll numbers by over 16%. In the 2011 election, 61.1% of Canadians voted, but in the 18 to 24 year old category, this number was below 40%, while in the seniors group aged 65 to 74, the participation rate exceeded 75%. Maybe we should feel good about these numbers- during the 2014 mid-term elections in the US, voter turnout was only 41.9%.
While it is encouraging to see more participation in the election, it’s difficult to understand why young people are so disinterested in this process. Often it boils down to this: voters young and old feel their vote doesn’t matter. But political parties know differently, and getting their supporters out to the polls is now job #1. As NDP strategist Bill Tieleman explained, a deficit in the polls can be negated if your supporters show up to vote and the other parties’ supporters stay home. In a tight race, this is critical, and this race looks very tight today.
Whether your reaction to the polls is to jump on the bandwagon of the leading party or jump off the couch to stem the tide, get out there and make yourself heard, or spend the next four years swallowing your complaints about what is transpiring in Ottawa.
