Apathy or Resistance

Real Reasons Youth Don't Vote

By Sandra Tam

  Many young people will not vote in the upcoming election. The headlines read: "Young voters feel disaffected" (Globe and Mail, November 6, 2000). No one is really surprised; this is a known trend.
  A number of youth friendly initiatives have been launched to address the low rate of young voter turnout. Elections Canada sent out 400,000 notices to remind 18 year olds to get on the voters' list. MuchMusic is running ads to persuade reluctant youth to vote. The Toronto Youth Cabinet and other youth groups have strategically broadcast their message about the importance of voting to young people at raves and other venues where youth are known to congregate.
  According to previous polls, less than half of eligible voters under 24 years of age cast a ballot. In Canada, youth voters total three million. Now, if I were a candidate. But young people, we're not an easy crowd to please.
  The media and general public suspect apathy. Young people don't care. We are complacent, and apolitical. This generalization may apply to some young people, but probably not everyone.
 

Youth have made a deliberate choice not to vote. Resistance is disguised as apathy.

  These days, being wrinkle-free is not all it's cracked up to be. Although unemployment rates are declining, still about 343,000 Canadian youth were unemployed last month. But the economy is good these days, so we might be lucky enough to find work that is permanent, full-time and meaningful. We'll need that job to pay back huge student loans, which average $25,000 per undergraduate.
  How about youth who do not have a high school diploma, let alone a university degree? What do they need? Maybe stable, affordable housing, and money for food or transportation.
  And what do political leaders offer? Tax cuts and more tax cuts. Tax cuts generally target corporations, the wealthy, and adults with investments. How are tax cuts applicable to youth who are only beginning to accumulate equity?
  The youth featured in recent news articles are described as well informed and politically aware. They have made a deliberate choice not to vote. Resistance is disguised as apathy.
  Voting is only one type of political participation. Some youth are extremely competent at exercising resistance and taking a political stance. The world has witnessed the passion of young activists in demonstrations on the streets of Seattle, Windsor and Prague. Student union representatives, and youth wings of political parties continue to have an active role in political arenas. The Toronto Youth Cabinet has vocal, vibrant membership.
  There are even some ambitious young candidates in the current elections: 19 year old Simon Roland is the NDP candidate in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding, and 18 year old Jennifer Bridge was elected school trustee in Durham region. There are probably others.
  However, these highly political youth are relatively few. The rest of us are more likely to be hit by lightening than watch the leaders' debate.
  We should also keep in mind, the young people who volunteer quickly for leadership positions, are the loudest and most confident. Time, space and resources are needed to encourage those with softer voices to participate.
  Political participation is not always easy. Fiscal conservatism and market-driven strategies are currently dominating social policy development in Canada. Social movements or groups that try to put issues of collective resource and community capacity building on the public agenda are often met with reproach and classified as a special interest group. Witness the negative media coverage of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty demonstrations in Allen Gardens last summer.
  Obviously, some forms of political activism and participation are more palatable than others. Who could blame a young person for not wanting to participate?
  It's not only a question of why youth do not vote. It's not just about voting. Society needs to know how to include participation of young people in all legislative and policy-making processes. How can youth be involved in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social policies and programs that affect our everyday lives?
  It's not only about youth. Only two-thirds to three-quarters of all eligible voters vote. Our leaders also need to know how to include adults who find themselves marginalized from political and social debates.
  I do believe it's important for youth to vote but it may be more important to consider why they don't. Will I vote on November 27? Yes, but I do so knowing it is only one of a number of actions in my personal political repertoire.

Sandra Tam is a (relatively) young, research coordinator at the Ontario Association of Youth Employment Centres.
Email: oayecst@interlog.com Website: www.interlog.com/~oayec

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