We are soon off to the polls and according to a recent Elections Canada study conducted on the last federal election turnout, 78% of those between 18 and 25 years old will not be voting. This drop in voter turnout is disturbing but even more concerning is that when asked why the non-voter does not attend the polls, the study revealed 25% were just not interested. With an additional 15% stating that they suffer from ignorance or just had better things to do. But overall, 67% polled provided a negative public attitude towards the system, candidates, or government when expressing a reason for not voting.
So, by our own admission, those who do not vote suffer from apathy, ignorance, anger and indifference when it comes to civic duty. Who is to blame?
I made a point of engaging a few people in their early twenties to test this study out by asking a few questions. What I found was very similar answers to simple questions. When I asked one young lady, “Who is the current Prime Minister of Canada?” I got, “John something.” When I pressed for a full answer I got “John Chrétien, I think.” Taking this further, I asked this gal, “Well, who was the first Prime Minister of Canada?” and this is where things got weird, “It was the John guy.” she said. Once again I pressed for the last name and in a half attempt at deflecting my incredulous look she stated, “The McDonalds guy”, with a chuckle. I said, “OK, I’ll take that answer, it was Sir John Alexander MacDonald.” Now feeling that I had engaged the thinking hemisphere I asked, “Was he Liberal or Conservative?” She was quick to answer “Liberal.” Wanting to gently pat her head saying, “good girl” I corrected her by stating “No, he was Conservative.” I guess the Liberal catch phrase, ‘Natural Governing Party’ must be working.
If this gal was a 12 year old kid staring at a video game during this conversation I would not have been so dumbfounded. But this adult, 8 years into voting age, is a successful businesswoman in Edmonton with real responsibilities. I advised her that I was using her as an example and she implored me to withhold her name. So don’t worry Suzanne, I won’t say a word.
When I was 17 years old, I could not wait until I was old enough to cast my vote. For some reason, I saw it as a rite of passage. It was as important to a hormone rushing teen as getting a drivers license, or hollering “Barkeep, give me another!” It was a moment in a young mans life when the maxim, “Eat the crust, it will grow hair on your chest,” reveals to be truth one morning. Or that moment when you actually need to put a blade into the razor. On election day, I would sit in front of the boob tube and watch intently as the results poured in. At the same time I would be calling my buddy and we would spew anger when we saw Pierre Trudeau standing with his hands clasped together, raised in the air, in victory. Election day was the only time TV was an interactive media experience. So why have things changed?
The Elections Canada study regarding voter apathy only gives reasons for not voting and not the cause. It appears as though there is no simple answer. But if we just look around we can draw a few cursory conclusions.
The first, I believe is that parents don’t engage their children on many topics. Politics only being one of them. The TV has turned into the child mentor and the school system their ethical guidance. The apathy of the parents interaction with the youth translates to the apathy at the polls. As a youth my father talked politics to me and instilled the importance of my one vote carries.
Second, young people have too many distractions coming at them. So much so, that if you stand a young person in a quiet room for 10 minutes their face begins to melt in boredom. They have become a generation of people needing constant input. This is seen in their fascination with cell phones, texting, facebook, ipods, movies, pop idols and video games. They have become a generation of turning inward and tuning out. It is no wonder that ignorance plays into the non-voter.
Third, our political campaigns have turned into a circus. In the old days it was unusual to see federal leaders throw insults at each other. It was business. Ed Broadbent of the Federal NDP and Joe Clark of the Progressive Conservatives were seen as pretty serious politicians. Even without chiselled good looks you got the sense that they were real contenders. They dealt with real topics, real concerns, not allegations of hidden agendas, who’s lighting up with whom, accusations designed to instil fear and anger, instead of engaging civic concern. Its no wonder the non-voter uses anger as a reason for avoiding the polls.
And last, I believe that the diminishing membership of the Service Clubs is a strong indication of civic duty declination. Many good service clubs and fellowships such as the Lions Club, the Loyal Order of the Moose and attendance in a church to name only a few indicate that the younger crowd is not interested in serving their community. It is a strong indication that without civic interaction with other community members the youth are getting disconnected and without conversation with your neighbours they are just not forming any real political opinions or even concern. It is no wonder the non-voter sights indifference to their civic duty of voting.
Yes it is a disturbing trend……but really, are we not all to blame?
No comments:
Post a Comment