Voter turnout on campus depressingly low
Survey says: 15 of 20 students did not vote due to lack of information and interest
Dayla Brown
News Editor
It is not a new concept that most young adults today simply don’t vote.
The lowest voting age demographic is 18 – 24 years old. According to Elections Canada, last year only 38.8 per cent of those aged 18 – 24 voted. Each year, voting rates within this demographic are expected to drop.
Those statistics are even lower at Mount Royal University.
One in 20 students voted in the by-election, according to a survey completed by The Reflector on campus. Only three of the students asked said they didn’t live in any of the ridings and one student changed residency. Polls were taken at various places on campus, with an equal amount of males and females being asked whether or not they voted.
The rest, 15 students out of 20, admitted they didn’t vote due to lack of information and interest.
An article published by the Huffington Post on Canadian politics outlining different age demographics in Canada in relation to voter turnout wrote, “The most common reason among young people aged 18 to 24 who did not vote was that they were not interested in voting — 30 per cent. Another 23 per cent reported they were too busy, while 11 per cent said they were out of town or away.”
Randy MacKenzie, third-year English student, was the one student in the poll who voted.
“I ended up voting for Wild Rose,” says MacKenzie, “I’ve lost faith in the conservatives.”
MacKenzie says he believes it’s important for young adults to vote, since “we’re the world of tomorrow.”
While the majority of students polled didn’t vote, most expressed an importance for young adults to get out and hit voting stations.
“I didn’t know enough about the by-elections to make an informed decision,” says Janelle Alarie, open studies student.
“I think voting is important, but I don’t think you should vote if you don’t know what or who you’re voting for.”
Six out of 20 students said they voted federally and provincially, even though they didn’t participate in the by-elections.
Final by election results were released on Monday, confirming the winners: Gordon Dirks, Progressive Conservative, for Calgary-Elbow; Jim Prentice, Progressive Conservative, for Calgary–Foothills; and Mike Ellis, Progressive Conservative, for Calgary West.