Politics and their effects on youth.

By Nathan Trombley

With the federal election fast approaching, many young people said they are shying away from the voter’s poll.

According to Statistics Canada, only 38.8 per cent of young people in Canada have voted in 2011. The parties are aware of this and have centered their platforms on older Canadians who will vote and are involved.

Cierra Bray and Amanda Moffat are St Clair College students. Bray and Moffat share similar opinions on the federal election and what it means for young voters.

Bray said she likes to focus on the effect this election will have on young people. Moffat said she is focused on issues relating to the union.

Bray said she feels the reason many youth do not vote is because they are uneducated about the elections and the platforms involved with each party. She said she also feels the educational system does not educate youth enough on how to get information on the parties.

“I think one of the major reasons as to why young people don’t vote is because they feel their voice does not matter,” said Bray.

Moffat said many youth do not vote because they see it as pointless. She said they feel no one is listening to them.

Moffat believes social media is a medium that will show a rise in youth voters because parties would be able to target young adults and talk about issues which directly affect them.

“I have seen social media bringing a lot of attention to the elections and issues surrounding them, which is something we haven’t seen in recent years but it’s much needed,” said Moffat.

When trying to decide on a party to vote for, Bray said she looked at which party was going to do the most when it comes to issues that affect students and young adults. According to her, these issues include the cost of tuition, OSAP and youth employment in the community related to their field of study and not just in the automotive sector.

“I would like my choice to remain private, but I feel after the large amount of research that I did, I made the right choice in voting,” said Bray.

Moffat said she has not been very informed on the issues related to this election. She said the issues she has been following are related to the legalization of marijuana. According to an article in 2012 by the National Post, this is an issue that many young adults are in favour of. This is causing the Liberal Party of Canada to draw attention and support of these young voters. Moffat said she is one of those young voters who is supporting this.

“I believe that if marijuana is legalized it will have great effects on society,” said Moffat “Just look at the States and the impact it has had on their society.”

Soon, the polls will tell if young adults have decided to get involved in voting and if their opinions will be heard.