Voter turnout

It's small, and possibly even smaller than the official numbers suggest, but it's there, says Elections Canada: a tiny uptick in the number of voters going to the polls. For the 2006 election, 64.7 per cent of registered voters showed up to vote. It may be the first sign of a reversal of the downward trend in turnout.

At just under 61 per cent, the 2004 turnout was the lowest in federal election history. (Although Elections Canada says they number may be more like 64.1 per cent, because of a discrepancy in the number of voters on the list.) The election before that had also broken a low-participation record. And the one before that. It seemed there was a pattern establishing itself.

» click on the following graph to enlarge

A study by Elections Canadasuggests there are many factors that come into play with voters, including weather, apathy and the level of trust people have in politicians and the political system.

The time to start to change that is when voters are new to the system. A major factor in determining whether someone will vote is whether they began to vote at a young age. It's not just that older people are more likely to vote, it's that people tend to continue the voting habits they establish when they are first eligible to vote. So, if the young get turned off voting, they are less likely to vote even when they are older.

Since the 2004 election, Elections Canada has made extra efforts to attract first-time voters. Those who had turned 18 since the last election receive a personalized card in the mail encouraging them to vote. If they don't register, they will receive another during the campaign. Elections Canada designed a website for 16- to 24-year-olds to talk about youth voting and involvement in the political system, and has sponsored a contest promoted on MuchMusic.

Other organizations, including Rush the Vote and Apathy is Boring tried to engage and connect youth and politicians, through internet activism, concerts and other events.

Elections Canada also works with Student Vote to get students, pre-voting age, involved in the political process.

The moves may have paid off. Elections Canada does not have youth voter turnout numbers for the 2006 elections, but the turnout for the youngest category of voters (18-21) in 2004 was about 38 per cent, up from the estimated 25 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds in 2000.

The number is still small, and any possible increase will take years to significantly improve overall turnout, especially as older generations that are more likely to vote die off.

Also in the last election, Elections Canada spent about $10 million to advertise in other countries. Because the election was in January, thousands of Canadian snowbirds were out of town, and needed special instructions on how to vote.

Elections Canada has conducted studies into alternate electoral systems and voting methods. An international study suggests that countries with proportional representation have a higher voter turnout. Not surprisingly, countries where voting is mandatory also have higher turnout.

Although electronic and mail-in voting could increase turnout, Canada has so far decided not to go that route because of security concerns.

This time out, Elections Canada is repeating many of its efforts with young people, and continuing to encourage all eligible voters to turn out.

Then all there is to do is wait until election night to see how those efforts pay off.

Related Links

External Links
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance