“Do the unexpected. Take 20 minutes out of your day, do what young people all over the world are dying to do: vote.” ― Rick Mercer

As I have noted in several recent posts, SFU has one of the most engaged student bodies in Canada.

I'm hoping this will extend to casting your ballots in the provincial election on May 14 (or in the advance polls being held this Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday).

Statistics show that Canadians, and especially youth, are becoming increasingly disenchanted with our electoral system.

Voter turnout in the last provincial election hit an all-time low of 51 per cent of eligible voters and only 31 per cent of those aged 18-34 (Elections BC).

In the last federal election, less than 42 per cent of those aged 18-34 cast a ballot as compared to 61.1 per cent of all eligible voters (Elections Canada).

Perhaps young people abstain from voting because they think it won’t make a difference. Or perhaps they want to express their discontent with the political process.    

This trend to disengagement represents a serious challenge to Canadian democracy. Without active citizen participation in the democratic process, we cannot have a healthy and robust democracy.

Moreover, by voting in lesser numbers than older voters, young people ensure that their influence on the political process is diminished. 

Not only do they wield less influence at the ballot box, but they also reduce the pressure on politicians to address their concerns between elections. This, in turn, feeds their sense that their opinions don’t count and fuels their disenchantment.

No wonder then that governments often seem inclined to give more urgent attention to issues such as health care and old age security than they do to advanced education and youth unemployment.

The best way for youth to break this vicious circle is by voting. 

I urge you to cast your ballot on May 14 and also to encourage your friends to do so–not because your university president says so but, on the contrary, because you shouldn’t leave it to folks of my generation to decide what kind of society you want to live in.

Questions about whether you can vote in the BC election? The Who Can Vote page at Elections BC has answers!