The word vote is defined as a formal expression of choice or decision. A voter is
someone who is eligible to vote in an election (Oxford Canadian Dictionary, 2004.)
According to section three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of
Commons or of a legislative assembly. Voter turn-out is the number of people who cast a
ballot in each election. (Wikipedia, 2006.) There are about 22,295,670 eligible voters in
Canada (Elections Canada, 2004.) Even with so many voters, many of them are choosing
not to vote in elections. (Women's Post, 2006.)
This paper will identify who the voters
are, and who chooses not to vote, the factors leading that decision as well as exploring
options that may increase voter turn-out in the future.“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This is a quote by Mahatma
Gandhi. When people vote in elections, this is what they are choosing to do, they are
making a conscience choice to be the change they want to see in the world. It has been
shown that the older generations are a significant percentage of today's voters. This may
be due to the fact that as a person grows up and becomes involved in the workforce and
settles down to a life of their own they become more aware of the role of the government
in their lives, and tend to take an interest in who is in charge of it. (Canadian Council on
Learning, 2006.)
Also, Since more older people vote than younger people, the politicians
find it easier to relate to them and the issues that concern them (Kohler, Campbell,
Maich, 2006.) Another group of people who feel the pull of the voting polls come
election times are those with a strong sense of civic duty. A sense of civic duty doesn't
depend on who is running for a specific election nor on rather the vote is likely to “count”
or not. The voter compelled by civic duty believes that voting is important for its own
sake. Most voters think that voting in elections is either essential or very important. Civic
duty comes with time, age and education (Elections Canada, 2006.)
The last group of die-hard voters to be discussed in this paper is those who grew up with
parental influence. In other words, people who's parents are voters. This is especially
pertinent for young people. Young people who are new voters may be tempted to vote
along the same lines as their older family members because they trust their judgment.
(Laxton, 2005.)
An example of this is the fact that husbands and wives tend to vote the
same way (Glaser, 2006.) As far as the provinces go, In the 2004 election Prince Edward
island had the highest voter turn-out of any other Canadian province at 70 per cent
(CBCnews, 2004.)
What makes a right a right is the fact that it has a reverse. While a person has the
right to do something, they also have the right not to do it. Voting is a good example of
this. In Canada voting is not a mandatory practice like it is in countries such as Belgium,
Argentina and Australia. In these countries it is considered a criminal offense that may
result in fines or jail time if an eligible voter doesn't go to the poles. (International
Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2005.)
This means Canadians may choose whether or not they cast a ballot in each election or
not, and many do not. In fact, voter turnout was down to only 61 per cent of eligible
voters in the year 2000 (Maddocks, 2004.) There are several reasons for a low
voter turn-out, one of the most predominant ones today is that of age. In a study done
by Elections Canada, only 22 per cent of 18 to 20 year-olds and 24 per cent of 21 to
24 year-olds voted in the year 2000 election (Leschasin, 2003.)
There are several possible
reasons for this growing trend.
Firstly, young people aren't voting because politicians aren't trying hard enough to relate
to them and to the issues that affect them. For example; politicians are speaking a lot
about healthcare and not enough about jobs, which relate more directly to youth
(Leschasin, 2003.) Secondly, it has been proven that not enough education about politics
is being given in the school curriculum. A survey on youth electoral participation trends
shows that the knowledge young voters have about how politics works, and their desire to
participate in elections are directly related. Or how about taking a positive approach?
Consider the fact that the main reason people vote is to change what isn't working in a
particular government system. Consider that perhaps youth aren't voting because they are
currently satisfied with the way things are being run (Leschasin, 2003.)
