Democracy?

A few weeks ago on the tenth of October, a provincial election took place. This election was not only the standard provinicial election, but also a referendum to decide on whether or not the proposed mixed member proportional system would be more effective. The sad reality is that a shockingly low number of people actually cared to take the time to participate in democracy. Only 52% of eligible voters turned out to cast their vote. This means that when the Liberals won with 40 percent of the vote, they really only had 20 percent of the popular vote in their favour. As for the referendum, it was very poorly promoted and a significant number of people simply did not know what they would have been voting for.

With all of this in mind, there is clearly something wrong with the state of our country. For being considered one of the most educated countries in the world, we have a devastating voter turn out in comparison to the rest of the world. We are in the bottom 30%, compared to all other countries, with Belgium, and Australia having the highest. But what can we possibly do? It would seem an unimaginable feat to convince 48% of voters that they are not doing their part. I believe that the voting age should be lowered to 16 years of age; this wouldn't necessarily solve our problems indefinitely, but it would an unequivocal step in the right direction. At the age of sixteen one is legally allowed to drive a car, and live alone; both of which in my opinion require just as much responsibilty as casting a vote and having a say in the way this country is run. With civics as a mandatory part of the curriculum, I think it is ideal that we would be just as equipped with knowledge and information as any other eligible voter. To this day, no strategy has been effective enough to get the full majority of people to turn out during an election, so perhaps if a younger population was to turn out, the rest of the country would actually consider what they are jeopardizing by not speaking up. By no means should guilt be a reason to vote, but at this point it seems that not much is.

The laws and changes made by the government affect us just as substantially as the rest of society. Public schools, Universities, health care and many other public facilities are all funded and controlled largely by the government, which in turn controls what and how we as individuals are limited to. If we are expected to make huge decisions at this age concerning our future, then would it not make sense for us to have a say in our circumstances that are not determined by us, and are decided by the government? Our future is greatly influenced by the state of our country, which evolves and changes because of decisions made today, and we deserve to be part of that change. If we are the future, as cliche as that may be, then it is our vote that should be granted as part of that future.

These ideas seem reasonable and just, but in reality it is unlikely to ever come into the play of politics. A party would be unwilling to do anything that would compromise their party being predominent and in control. That is why affairs such as the referendum do not succeed. The government has no desire for change for the sake of change, whether or not it be a fairer representation, as they are already in the lead, and essentially have nothing to "gain". They would feel no need to push for a greater voter turn out, because the current voter turn out is allowing them to win the election. The fact remains that those are not good reasons to govern with an absense of change in mind. The government, nor the people should be happy with a status quo that serves those in power alone- the only way this can change is through the people who are voting today. For now the youth in this country can only hope that those who have the option of a say will make that say, keeping in mind the good of those who cannot , and when it comes time, that our generation will know enough to do the same.

If you haven't already, check out the election results.