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Woe is me: A jaunt into youth voter apathy
The youth of Canada have been on my mind lately. Partly, I would say, because I am a Canadian youth myself - 21 (and three quarters) years-old.
But I would say the recent Canadian Federal election is what brought my thoughts of young Canadians into mind, especially when finding out that the 40th Canadian election also saw the lowest voter turnout in history.
As young Canadians, we are all to aware that this cry of apathy is spearheaded by the 18 - 35 age range. In fact, according to this Global broadcast on youth voter apathy, one 41% of Canadians aged 18 - 35 participated in the 2006 election. 60% of those aged 35 - 44 voted, and 72% of those over 44 voted.
Fighting for the Youth Vote - GLOBAL VIDEO
While these age categories are not at all equal (I would assume a smaller voter turnout for 18-24 than 25-35), these facts really bring to my mind a certain hypothetical question…
What if this trend was reversed? What if a political party, dedicated solely to expressing the views of the youth?
Albeit a very fictional view, it does make me wonder. I have always thought of youth as more left-leaning than their parents and grandparents. I think of them as a generation who feels more compassion than most for those around the world, but at the same time is completely alienated by our global age which allows them to see tragedy around the world every day but provides no real way they can help. A generation who feels terribly about tragedies occurring in some foreign country, but at the end of the day they turn off the TV because they believe it is not in their power to help (and for the most part it probably isn’t).
These assumptions I have harboured for a while, but only recently was my confidence in the youth of Canada shattered once again.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/story/2008/10/14/f-elxn-studentresults.html
In the above story, CBC compiles the cross-Canada high school mock election vote that was held at the same time as the 2008 Federal Election. This is one of the plethora of attempts to get youth into the routine of voting. But the cross-Canada high school elections yeilded much the same as the actual Federal Election - a Conservative Minority.
“The students, who took part in mock elections in the week leading up to Oct. 14, awarded 100 seats to the Conservative party.
The NDP came second with 66 seats, while the Liberals and the Green party finished third and fourth respectively, with 54 and 44 seats.” - CBC.ca
But some hope for the youth does remain in my mind… With any luck, these votes are in large part casted by uninformed high school students, who just repeat their parents dinner-time politics, or just reinforce the status quo that is displayed to them by large-scale media.
Hopefully these high school students will grow up, learn to analyze the political system, and choose a more progressive voice to represent them….
But then again, how much do people change after high school? Woe is me.
Aaron Zeghers is a hardworking yet playfull capricorn with interests in many of life's avenues. A graduate of journalism in Winnipeg, Aaron also spends his time involved in filmmaking, and music. Aaron is interning at Canadian Dimension for the current school year. Read more by Aaron Zeghers.
I would agree with much of what you say here. It is true that most people are put off of politics for a variety of reasons.
Most probably is the problems inherent in our political system (ie. representative democracy instead of proportional representation and the like).
But when I talk to people that don’t vote the two things I hear most are:
1) I didn’t feel I knew enough to vote
2) Politicians are just a bunch of liars and they never talk about what interests me anyways.
First off, saying “I didn’t feel I knew enough to vote” is absolutely an act of apathy. It is not caring enough to take a couple hours to listen to the leaders debate or research your local candidates.
The second statement is less black and white. People are fed up with the Canadian political system that focuses more on bickering and party in-fighting than policy-formation. This is understandable. But saying that you’re not going to vote because politicians don’t talk about what interests you is ridiculous. Climate change, war, rising costs of fossil fuels, and the largest economic crisis in our lifetime are things that should interest any intelligible Canadian.
Finally, by choosing not to vote, you are choosing apathy over action, despite your reason for not voting. If you are unhappy with your government it’s not a viable solution to just give up. As Elizabeth May said in the leader’s debate, “Demand more from your government.” Instead of not voting why not vote for a party like the Greens who are dedicated to parliament reform and environmental action?
While I am as cynical about Canadian politics as anyone on the fringe of the left can be right now, there is no coming revolution or other way to work against the system from the outside. Voting is a way for us that are unhappy with the current Canadian political landscape to voice our concern by voting for alternatives.
#1. Posted by Aaron Zeghers in Winnipeg, MB on October 28th 2008 at 7:30am
You state that the low voter turnout in Election 2008 is due to a “cry of apathy” drive by young people.
I disagree with that assessment, as I’ve written in a popular post on my blog. (See http://tinyurl.com/5d8drb.)
How much of the young among the electorate are merely apathetic rather than disgusted or otherwise put off by their choices, our voting system, etc., is a question worth examining. But my experiences canvassing with locally over the past weeks, plus the reams of articles and letters to the editor I’ve read before and after the election all suggest that “apathy” does not capture the situation at all. Nor does laziness or indifference. In fact, such a summation discredits what’s really going on.
#2. Posted by Chrystal Ocean on October 28th 2008 at 5:14pm
I think apathy is a valid assesment. From the start this whole election came off as an unnecesary imposition likely to change little.
Harper had the same base as before (Quebec changed but that province always does). The Liberals failed to challenge them. Layton offered nothing new. The Bloc was The Bloc. The Greens were the only real news story but were never viewed as a true threat in any riding.
For myself and, I think, most Canadians the whole ordeal felt like an unnecesary imposition and a sideshow to the election down south. I voted but it was a somnambulant act and in a riding where there was a true race.
If there’s any demographic that would have been excited about getting out to vote despite all of this it should have been the youth who have not yet been disillusioned by past elections. I think that would be the least of factors weighing against their decision to vote or not.
I’d also agree with Aaron that this lack of exposure to politics beyond their kitchen table might be reponsible for their decision to vote right in school mock elections. It seems to me that the children of the baby boomer generation will be inclined to reject their parents conservative ideals that have spawned the financial and ecological disasters coming to a fore today when they discover that they’re going to have to left to deal with their ramifications. These kids are likely swallowing the claims the conservatives make about their environmental and financial policies. Their “have your cake and eat it too” promises sound great before you have to really think about them, connect them to your day to day experience in adult society and have the tools to do so.
I do completely agree with you on our system and I find it especially sad that these issues only arise after yet another botched election rather than in their midst when politicians might actually be prompted to voice their opinions on the issue. I find it funny that the political pundits on The CBC spend the duration of the election earnestly dissecting campaigns only to say “well, of course the whole system is innefective anyways” in conclusion after it ends.
#3. Posted by Ryan Simmons on October 28th 2008 at 10:29pm
I’d also say that if the problem is dissatisfaction with the way the system works it is apathetic for people to respond by doing nothing to demonstrate and voice their concern.
#4. Posted by Ryan Simmons on October 29th 2008 at 7:14am
Egad, look up the meaning of ‘apathy’ for goodness sake! It’s not applicable to people who decide not to vote due to disgust in our system, their political options, etc. Nor is the rational process which precedes decision-making inaction.
#5. Posted by Chrystal Ocean on October 30th 2008 at 9:28am