In just a couple of days, on May 2nd, Canadians will be going to the polls for the next General Election and deciding who will represent them in Parliament. Unfortunately, in the last election in October 2008, only 59% of us showed up to cast ballots. Now that's a D grade in turnout! Why is it that given the opportunity so many of us don't show up to vote? And what would happen if we all did?
We are lucky enough to live in a system that allows us to elect the people who represent us in government. Ideally, that means we chose people who share the same values and have the same opinions as us, at least on the main issues. When people don't vote, they often claim it's because they feel disconnected from politics and feel that no one truly represents them. But I would argue that the main political parties have such a diverse spread of opinions on issues including law and order, immigration, and government programs, that most people fit more closely with one party's agenda over the others. And I would argue that most people have an opinion on these main issues. (Check out Vote Compass, if you haven't already, for a self-administered test to see which party's views align most closely with yours.)
The real problem is getting people, especially young people, involved in, and excited about, the political process. According to Elections Canada, only about 37% of voters aged 18 to 24 turned up at the polls in 2008. And studies show that if you don't start young, you may never vote at all. The key to a higher turnout must be, as it is with many things, to start really really young, and introduce our electoral system to children in elementary school. Children have an uncanny ability to get excited about anything at all, so if we can convince them that politics is not only important, but also fun, they'll be waiting in anticipation for their first opportunity to vote. (I stumbled upon a treasure chest of resources for BC educators here.)
Something unique that's happening this time around: we are seeing an unprecedented number of young people involved online politically through various social media sites, the biggest one being Facebook, of course. Although, Facebook was around in 2008, it has grown significantly since then, both in the number of users and also in the number of ways we use the site in our everyday lives. Social bookmarking tools have made it easy to share links with friends, and thanks to this unique interconnectivity, sites like www.shitharperdid.ca and www.projectdemocracy.ca, have gone viral within a matter of days, sometime hours.
The type of content that draws the attention of young (potential) voters tends to be blunt, speaks to them directly, and does not undermine their power. It does the opposite: it reminds them of how important they are (see Rick Mercer's rant and news stories covering the University of Guelph advance polling incident). I hope that this unprecedented direct call to young voters encourages more of them to show up to cast their votes.
When I was studying in Ghent, Belgium, in 2007, there was a general election. My housemates, all students, were reading up on the candidates and rearranging their schedules to make sure they got to the polls on election day; they took their voting seriously. It turns out that in Belgium, like in ancient Athens, a system of compulsary voting is in place. In fact, there are about 30 countries in the world that require their citizens to vote, and penalties for not going to the polls range from fines to community service. In Rio, for example, you need to show proof of having voted in order to collect certain social services. In Belgium, if you fail to vote in four elections, you may lose your right to vote (Compulsory Voting Around the World - The Guardian).
The main benefit of compulsory voting, of course, is that it gets more people to vote! And that means that election results are more representative of the population's views. There are other benefits, though. For example, compulsory voting can make it hard for fringe parties to gain momentum simply by rallying their voter base. As well, compulsory voting has the effect of getting people involved in the political process, and an engaged public is less likely to feel disheartened or powerless.
Although you won't be penalized for not voting in the Canadian election in the ways described above, isn't having a leader that less than half the country supports punishment enough? So I am asking you to make it your civil duty to vote on May 2nd! And please get involved. More information about who your candidates are and where to vote is available at www.vote.ca.
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