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May 7, 2012
By Monique Muise, THE GAZETTE May 1, 2012
…Voter turnout among Canadian youth has been on the decline since the 1970s. In 2008’s federal election, only 37 per cent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 cast a ballot. Turnout was only slightly better among those age 25 to 34, at 48 per cent.
Quebec was something of a bright spot that year. The turnout for the 18-24 age group here was nearly 10 percentage points higher than the nationwide average, at 46.8 per cent. Still, more than half of eligible young voters in the province chose not to participate in the selection of their next federal government. When Quebecers headed back to the polls in December 2008 to elect a new provincial government, the situation only deteriorated. A study conducted by Université Laval for Elections Quebec in 2009 revealed the turnout among the 18-24 demographic was only about 41 per cent.
Peter Loewen, a political-science professor at the University of Toronto who recently co-authored a report on youth voter engagement in Canada, maintains that despite that abysmal track record, there are several reasons to be optimistic about youth voter turnout when Premier Jean Charest does finally call an election.
“First, (young Quebecers) have now been mobilized and politicized in large numbers,” he noted. “Second, this has occurred around an issue which is directly related to party politics and party policy.”
If the tuition issue is settled and an election isn’t called until several months after that, however, some of that democratic fervour could wear off, he added.
“I don’t think young people’s political memories are necessarily shorter than anyone else’s,” Loewen said. “But I do think it’s possible that the air will be let out of the balloon if Charest can broker a compromise.” … Read the full article from The Montreal Gazette by clicking here.