Global News | Live Event | Federal Election 2011

Federal Election 2011 | The youth vote

On Tuesday April 26 Global News hosted a live blog with groups across the country who are trying to get youth out to the polls on May 2.

We're looking forward to joining the discussion on Tuesday. We're up first - 6pm EST! For more information on our work in the meantime, please visit www.samaracanada.com

by AlisonLoat edited by Heather Loney 4/25/2011 7:30:18 PM
Hello all! We will be ready at 6pm EST. For more information on the Great Canadian Blank Ballot Project please visit www.rejecttheelection.ca
For more info on the Atlantica Party www.atlanticaparty.ca

by Blank Ballot - Atlantica Party edited by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 2:13:16 PM
Youth may be politically engaged, but they still aren’t turning out to vote in large numbers.

According to Elections Canada estimates, in the 2008 federal election, 58.8 per cent of Canadians voted – the lowest turnout ever. The voting rate for youth aged 18 to 24 was even worse, at only 37.4 per cent. The question is why?

Read the full story from Global News' Leslie Young here: www.globalnews.ca

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 7:39:06 PM
Apathy is Boring, along with Jian Ghomeshi, The Most Serene Republic, The Midway State, Danny Fernandes, JRDN, Amanda Mabro, Lauren Toyota, Nicole Holness, and Johnny Hockin, encourage first-time voters to get out to the polls for the 2011 Canadian federal election.

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:32:06 PM
University of Guelph Vote Mob

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:32:09 PM
On this blog you will have a chance to hear about the issues keeping youth away from the polls, to hear about ideas and projects that work to engage young voters, and to participate in the discussion.

Are you voting? Why, or why not?

If you have questions or comments for our panel, please submit them here. All questions will be moderated. And let the discussion begin!

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:35:11 PM
Joining us first on the blog is Alison Loat from Samara Canada. Welcome Alison!

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:49:31 PM
Good evening/afternoon (depending on your time zone!). Happy to be here, and thanks for hosting GlobalNews.ca!

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:51:05 PM
Vote mobber checking in. Hi everyone! I'm Gracen from Guelph -> This is me in our latest production.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:52:14 PM
Welcome Gracen!

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:52:28 PM
Alison and Gracen, why don't you start off by giving us a quick overview of your projects during this election campaign.

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:52:51 PM
Sure. Gracen, would you like to start?

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:53:22 PM
Ok!

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:53:34 PM
I've been involved with the Vote Mob movement that's sweeping the nation. My co-organizer, Yvonne Su, and I created the first mob in Guelph and have been conversing and coaching fellow organizers coast to coast.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:54:23 PM
Our message is simply that youth will be voting and politicians should act as such. We're very excited to see how it all translates at the polls.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:54:53 PM
Hey Gracen! Hi all, I'm Nora. In addition to working for the Canadian Federation of Students I'm an activist on a variety of issues like education, anti-war, the environment. Thanks Global for hosting this!

by Nora Loreto 4/26/2011 9:55:10 PM
Most of our work deals with everyday democracy - i.e., in between elections. Our largest project is Canada's first-ever series of exit interviews with 65 former MPs, where we asked for their reflections and advice on how to improve our democracy.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:55:21 PM
Last week, we released a report on how the MPs spent their time in Parliament, and their relationship with their political parties. It's called "It's My Party: Parliamentary Dysfunction Reconsidered" and is available here: www.samaracanada.com

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:56:21 PM
To start out, let’s set the stage with some stats:
In the 2008 federal election, only 58 per cent of Canadians voted - the lowest turnout ever. The voting rate for youth aged 18 to 24 was even worse, at only 37.4 per cent.

The following chart shows how Canada’s youth stack up to other countries. What’s that tiny red bar you may ask? Well, that’s Canada’s voter turnout for youth aged 18-24.

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:56:48 PM
What's that sad little red bar? Oh, it's Canada.
Graph: How does Canada's youth vote compare to other countries?

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:56:49 PM
Yeah, that's pretty pathetic.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:57:25 PM
We can do better.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:57:35 PM
So my question - Is Canada really the worst for youth voter turnout? Why do you think there is there such a difference even between Canada and the US?

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:57:39 PM
During the election, we're supporting the efforts of Student Vote (e.g., we moderated their all candidates debate for 380 teachers and for broadcast in 4200 schools, and are also running a feature on first-time voters: www.samaracanada.com

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:57:53 PM
Well, for starters, our party leaders aren't rock stars like Obama hahaha...

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:58:11 PM
Yeah, Obama might help!

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:58:30 PM
Hahaha - good point. How do you think our party leaders are doing so far in engaging the youth vote?

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:58:59 PM
It doesn't really look like they're trying, to be honest.

by gracenjohnson 4/26/2011 9:59:20 PM
Are there any leaders that stand out?

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 9:59:21 PM
But some context is probably helpful. First, low youth turnout is not a new phenomenon. Youth have always voted in smaller numbers than their parents.

Also, as your chart suggests, it’s not unique to Canada. In all established Western democracies, youth voter turnout has declined, particularly since the mid-1990s. If more countries were included, you'd see that Canada is in the middle of the pack.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 9:59:40 PM
Before getting to the question about leaders, is it helpful to add a bit of what we know about why youth don't vote? Leaders are part of it, but not all...

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:00:29 PM
For example, there's funny blips in the data. E.g., 18 year olds are more likely to vote than 20 year olds (probably because they’re dragged by their parents!).

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:02:03 PM
Alison, leaders are part of it, what else contributes to low voter turnout in Canada?

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 10:02:34 PM
First, youth is a big predictor. Young people vote less than their parents, and always have.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:03:16 PM
We take our democracy for granted. We don't realize how lucky we are in a global context. Look at the middle east right now.

by siczar edited by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 10:04:00 PM
Second, education. Those with less education (i.e., people without university educations) are less likely to vote. In fact, there has been no decline in turnout university-educated young people.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:04:06 PM
Poor education is a part of it. I don't think most youth appreciate the importance of it and the difference it can make. The question what does it do for me is usually asked.

by jsarva 4/26/2011 10:04:11 PM
Other predictors of voting are (unsurprisingly) an interest in politics, having a sense of civic duty, or of responsibility to democracy. Also, if you talked about politics in the home, as a kid. So much of this is about how people are socialized as children.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:05:07 PM
Hey there, I spoke with a professor at the University of Manitoba who believes that people get more involved in politics when there is more at stake for them, personally. So, because this generation is "settling down" later in life, they may not engage in the political process until their 30's or 40's.... http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/decisioncanada/Vote+Leveraging+social+media+youth+vote+election+2011/4677990/story.html

by holly.fraughton 4/26/2011 10:05:17 PM
Siczar: I think you're right. Sometimes I wonder if part of the problem is that we're complacent! It's important, however, to remain vigilant. Democracy requires that of its citizen to thrive!

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:05:52 PM
One thing that's clear when talking to students every day about politics (not just during an election) is that there are so many ways in which students find themselves disengaged. If you're working 30 hours a week to pay your tuition fees, a lot of your life falls by the wayside including plugging into politics.

by Nora Loreto 4/26/2011 10:05:56 PM
And really, we can't blame young people for thinking voting doesn't make a difference. Canada is badly in need of electoral reform. It's likely the case that people under 35 who have voted, have never voted for a candidate who's won. Under our current system, it's hard to believe that voting will make a difference.

by Nora Loreto 4/26/2011 10:06:15 PM
hi Global News: You're right. If the voting age were moved to start at 30 (not that I'm advocating that!), we'd see much higher turnout.

by AlisonLoat 4/26/2011 10:06:48 PM
i would like to take a moment to welcome Jonathan to the live blog. Jonathan is from the Great Canadian Blank Ballot Project. Thanks for joining us!

by Heather Loney 4/26/2011 10:07:08 PM
Thanks, great discussion so far! Hello everyone.

by Blank Ballot - Atlantica Party 4/26/2011 10:07:31 PM

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Federal Election 2011 | The youth vote

On Tuesday April 26 Global News hosted a live blog with groups across the country who are trying to get youth out to the polls on May 2.