Essay On Low Voter Turnout

Words: 671
Pages: 3

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the low voter turn-out of federal elections in Canada, specifically among our youth. This paper will argue that this problem results from: a complex registration process, and youth’s easy accessibility to their interests and technology. This paper will also argue that because there is such a low turn-out and this is a clear issue for the future of Canada, we could improve the turn-out rates in this demographic through incorporating the registration process in our education curriculum, lowering the age to vote, and making voting available online.
Factors Contributing to a Low Voter Turn-out It has been argued that in today’s society, many young people do not vote due to the fact that we live in a more
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By doing so, all young voters will be registered and ready to vote when election date presents itself. “When the Government bring forward regulations for individual electoral registration, they could easily stipulate that all 14 and 15 year-olds in school should be registered in year 10 at school, in readiness for entitlement to vote, once they turn 16.” (For and Against Lowering the Voting Age, p. 40) There is a “claimed tendency that those who start voting young, continue to do so throughout their lives.” (For and Against Lowering the Voting Age, p. 40) Being said, this process being completed only increases the odds of developing a lifetime voter. In addition, the age to vote being lowered could increase the voter turn-out within the younger population of Canada. “It is of course also true that 18 year-olds at present are, on average, unlikely to have the opportunity to vote in a general election until they are well over 20. Even if the franchise is extend, 16 and 17 year-olds may not have that opportunity until they are 18 or more.” (For and Against Lowering the Voting Age, p. 40) By lowering the age of voting, more young people can vote in elections since at the current age, many do not have the opportunity to vote until they are much