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Centuries people have fought for the right to vote, the right to vote is guaranteed constitutionally through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms all restrictions were moved in 1982. Yet, there is a decline in voter turnout due to young people. In most eyes, democracy is a privilege which exercises the right to vote. However, voting is not the only form of political participation or civic engagement for young people. Low voter turnout among Canadian youth should not only focused on voter apathy but shed light on the other types of youth engagement both political and civic for ages 15 to 26.
Canadian elections are built on the foundation of democracy. They are effective in implementing democratic ideas ruled by the people. Creating an opportunity for political parties to raise issues additionally, present policy proposals, and for individuals and groups to try to influence those seeking to be elected. Voting is a major factor in the overall outcome of elections deciding which party will take charge and which party leader will assume the office of prime minister. Voters play a vital role in shaping the future of the country, choosing the party whose ideological perspective, policy proposals, or election promises they view as most desirable to the majority of the population. Moreover, differences in political attitudes and participation across age groups are normally seen from two distinct circumstances: life-cycle and generational effects.
The lack of participation of young people created a government that is influenced by fewer people. Therefore, the voter turnout has steadily declined over the past 20 years. With this in mind, 59% of voters under the age of 30 did not vote in the 2011 federal election. This is detrimental considering Canada is heavily based on democracy. Bring to the government's attention why don't young people vote? There are many issues surrounding Canada’s democracy system youth today are less likely to vote, less interested in politics, and know less about politics compared to all other age groups. Young people are the future who are still affected by the consequences brought about by politics. They are expected to uphold the expectations put on them by their older counterparts by attending school, get jobs, get sick, and so forth, so why is it that they feel unconcerned about politics and civics? Research shows multiple reasons why youth have become less engaged in the political process. One of the reasons is the life-cycle of young individuals, the lack of education of political knowledge, the media perceptions, and family influence. Which goes to show the younger you are the less exposure you’ll have on politics, youth are ignored politically.
This continues every election, two-thirds of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 didn't cast a ballot in the last federal election. Young people are not contacted by politicians, their message towards ages 15 to 26 is not delivered for three reasons. One, the message doesn’t resonate with young people. Political parties fail to communicate messages that resonate with youth due to the way the message is conveyed or the type of language that’s used. Additionally, certain issues don’t appeal to youth or benefit them in any way. Theses political messages don't arrive, young people are a difficult crowd to reach due to the fact that they move frequently compared to other age groups. Lastly, political messages are sometimes never sent. Young people aren't really considered in political campaigns, candidates and parties may not try to reach out to young people. Political participation should be encouraged to by all ages although, Canada’s political leaders are not reaching out to all Canadians equally.
Yes, elections reflect on the most important political structures of Canadian democracy however, it shouldn’t be the only time younger Canadians are encouraged to join the political process and conversation. Newly elected MPs should be held accountable for how they plan on considering to increase the frequency and quality of conversations with youth year-round. It’s time to send a message to youth that their votes are valued. Young people are more highly educated yet less motivated than previous generations. They have a right to know what politically Canada can offer them in the future breaking both the life-cycle and generational effects surrounding politics.
In order to increase Canada’s youth voter turnout, political education needs to be specifically towards them. From ages 15 to 26 their concerns regarding the elections and overall political knowledge are very low. They need to feel isolated from the political society which can establish a norm of civil duty making them feel obligated to vote. Studies show if a young person votes in the first two elections, they're eligible, they're more likely to continue voting all their lives. Political construction is a part of the solution, without this youth as well as other citizens would not feel the need to vote or have established a norm for civic duty. The civic duty behind voting is on a decline, with this in mind, political interest must increase and voter apathy must decrease and this can be done by providing political education among youth.
The correlation among Canadians in regard to political interest and actually voting is essential and very evident in recent elections. Parties need to prioritize young citizens to vote since they make up a large number. Creating feelings of obligation and interest, but this has to take effect soon, because if new generations do not start developing a habit of voting, improvements in turnout will not be made. Most Canadians feel their votes don't count because of the way their system. The norm of a civic duty will allow a higher voter turnout under the democratic system. In Canada, under a plurality system, citizens struggle to find motives to vote creating poor political habits that result in very low turnout.
To conclude, it is clear is that many, if not most, young Canadians avoid the polls because of political apathy and lack of political education. Seeing politics and elections as unimportant, rather than because of a strong belief that politicians and politics are not addressing issues of importance to them. It is evident that two things need to happen for Canada democratic system: develop an interest in politics and elections specifically for the current generation of young voters and, secondly, continuing interest among the next generation of voters, stopping any further decline in voter turnout levels.
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