Elections boss votes for national strategy

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This article was published 24/11/2011 (5331 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Canada needs a national strategy to solve the deep-rooted problems keeping young voters away from the polls, the country’s chief electoral officer said Wednesday.

Today, Elections Canada will make public the most comprehensive survey on youth voting it has ever done. CEO Marc Mayrand said the findings confirm and re-emphasize much of what is known — that young people are less motivated to vote than older Canadians, don’t see it as their civic duty and don’t get enough civic education in school.

“We need to start looking at the motivational barriers and that will require a national strategy that cuts across all jurisdictions,” said Mayrand.

The National Youth Survey gives an overview of voting rates and factors that may have influenced turnout at the polls in last spring’s federal election among Canadians between 18 and 34.

Like every survey on voting, people vastly over-reported having voted, as the survey suggests 74 per cent of Canadians in that age group went to the polls last May. In reality, said Mayrand, Elections Canada’s review of voting records from May suggests the number was closer to 36 per cent.

But the inflated voting data does not diminish what the report says about what motivated people to vote or not vote.

The survey found that, in general, education levels, employment, income level and political knowledge and political interest were among the chief factors in determining whether someone in that age group voted or not. But when asked what kept them away from the polls, one-third of non-voters cited motivational factors including thinking their vote wouldn’t make a difference, not trusting government or politicians, not liking the candidates on the ballot, not caring about politics and not knowing enough about the parties, candidates or issues. Almost another one-third said they were too busy with school, work or their family to get to the polls.

More than one in 10 said they didn’t vote because they didn’t know how, when or where to vote, they didn’t have ID or a voter’s card or they weren’t registered to vote.

The report suggests the latter group’s issues are the easiest to overcome and can be addressed immediately by making sure young people are more aware about ways to vote outside of going to the polls on election day, making sure young people get voter’s cards and locating polling stations in places where more young non-voters are likely to be.

But Mayrand said electoral turnout has gone down over the last decade, even though there are more days to vote and more ways to vote than ever before. And even more than eight in 10 non-voters admitted it is generally easy to vote.

That means, said Mayrand, it’s the motivational factors that are key but those aren’t going to be solved overnight. A national project that brings together youth, politicians, the media and electoral bodies is required, he said.

Addressing issues such as a lack of knowledge in politics, lack of interest and lack of understanding of the issues will take major improvements, including adding far more civic education into high school curricula.

Only two-thirds of those surveyed said they had any education in politics or government in high school, but those who did were more likely to say they voted (78 per cent) versus voters who didn’t study politics or government in high school (64 per cent).

The survey also recommends more family influence, as 90 per cent of youth who grew up discussing politics with their families said they voted, compared with 57 per cent of youth who voted but did not discuss politics growing up.

Mayrand said one of the problems is young people don’t see voting as a civic duty the way their parents and grandparents did.

The survey was conducted across Canada by phone, email, Internet and in person between May 5 and June 14. It is considered accurate within 2.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Let’s run the numbers up the polls

An overview of voters, aged 18 to 34, in the May 2, 2011, federal election:

Total number who reported voting: 74 per cent

Number of First Nations who reported voting: 39 per cent

Number of on-reserve First Nations people who voted: 26 per cent

Number of youth with disabilities who voted: 74 per cent

Number of visible minorities who voted: 64 per cent

Number with a university degree who voted: 86 per cent

Number with less than high school who voted: 42 per cent

Number who earned $80,000 or more who voted: 100 per cent

Number who earned $20,000 or less who voted: 60 per cent

Reasons people didn’t vote

I was at school/work/taking care of family/children: 30 per cent

I was travelling/away from my riding: 14 per cent

I don’t care: 12 per cent

I didn’t know where/when/how to vote, didn’t have ID, wasn’t registered, didn’t receive a voter card: 12 per cent

I don’t know enough about the parties/candidates/issues: 11 per cent

My vote wouldn’t make any difference: 4 per cent

I didn’t like any of the parties/candidates: 3 per cent

I don’t trust politicians/government: 2 per cent

Reasons for voting

It is a civic duty to vote: 26 per cent

Because it is important to vote: 18 per cent

It allows me to express my views: 16 per cent

To support/oppose a political party: 16 per cent

I want change: 5 per cent

To support/oppose a specific candidate: 4 per cent

Because a family member, friend or someone else told me to vote: 3 per cent