Written by Grade 10 student, Laura Chau
What are politics? What is the purpose of a federal election? Why do issues occur in the Canadian economy? Why has voter turnout declined in the past decade? Why is Civics a mandatory grade 10 course? There are several questions young Canadians have today that are not answered which leads to a decrease in voter turnout.
The percentage of voter turnout for 18 – 24 year olds in the last 2011 federal elections was only 38.8%. This is a very small percentage and will keep on declining if steps are not taken to inform young Canadians. One of the major reasons why young Canadians do not vote is because they lack political knowledge. This causes the “ripple effect” which states that since young citizens do not vote the first time due to the lack political knowledge, they will be less likely to vote the next time. Therefore, this will lead to a decline in voter turnout.
The student vote is created to inform young citizens of Canada’s current politics. The student vote is a grade 10 Civics assignment which involves students to research about the political parties, their policies and platforms, our local candidates and the issues they are trying to resolve, and how voting works. It is crucial for young citizens to vote and to be informed about Canada’s economy because every vote counts. The last reason why young Canadians need to vote is because economic policies will affect their future. Canada’s economy can change greatly in four years time, and so can young Canadians’ lives depending on their political decisions to vote and who to vote for.
