Common Ground voting is closing soon, support my policy on Encouraging Youth Voter Participation and Improving Civic Education!

http://commonground.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Encouraging-Youth-Voter-Participation-Improving-Civic-Education/13731-25935

It's on a Liberal website, but I think it's a good non partisan idea that could have a positive impact on youth participation in the electoral process.

Many American states allow for youth voter pre-registration, so this isn't a radical idea - it works in other places, why not Ontario? The Chief Electoral Office of BC recommended British Columbia take a look at youth pre-registration, why not Ontario?

It takes just a couple minutes to register and vote, and I encourage you to read more about the policy here.

Haven't had a chance to vote for my idea on Common Ground? Take just a minute to support youth engagement and better civic education!

My idea is ranked 40th out of over 1000 ideas suggested, and is in the top 10 for the education section. To vote, simply sign up and agree with the idea!

Brush up on my youth democratic participation and civic education policy in time for provincial council!

With provincial council coming up this weekend, here's a brush up on my policy that got prioritized by the Ontario Young Liberals at Summer Fling back in August. Here is a blog post I wrote outlining some of the stats and evidence behind this policy, and why I think it would work for Ontario.

ENCOURAGING YOUTH DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION AND IMPROVING CIVIC EDUCATION

BY: WILLIAM NORMAN, MISSISSAUGA SOUTH

WHEREAS the lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24 years of age

WHEREAS there is a positive correlation between voting and being registered as a voter before General Voting Day

WHEREAS Australia and several American states allow for voter registration below the age of 18

WHEREAS the Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia recommended in 2011 in his Report to the Legislative Assembly to amend the BC Elections Act to allow the provisional registration of individuals when they are 16 years of age

WHEREAS Ontario Young Liberals have previously passed policies encouraging youth democratic participation and improving the Civics class as part of Ontario’s curriculum

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Ontario government amend the Ontario Elections Act to permit the registration of individuals onto the voter list when they are 15 years of age

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Ontario government amend the Ontario High School curriculum to include the voter registration process, as the majority of students in grade 10 would be 15

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Ontario government continues to work with post-secondary educational institutions to help students living away from home vote.

Final version of my policy to be presented at Summer Fling: Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education

My original policy had some friendly amendments for clarity and language, so here is what I'll be presenting at Summer Fling this weekend:

Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education (Provincial)

By: William Norman, Mississauga South  

WHEREAS – The lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24 years of age

WHEREAS – There is a positive correlation between voting and being registered as a voter before General Voting Day

WHEREAS – Australia and several American states allow for voter registration below the age of 18

WHEREAS – The Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia recommended in 2011 in his Report to the Legislative Assembly to amend the BC Elections Act to allow the provisional registration of individuals when they are 16 years of age

WHEREAS – Ontario Young Liberals have previously passed policies encouraging youth democratic participation and improving the Civics class as part of Ontario’s curriculum

BE IT RESOLVED THAT – The Ontario government amend the Ontario Elections Act to permit the registration of individuals onto the voter list when they are 16 years of age

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT – The Ontario government amend the Ontario High School curriculum to include the voter registration process, as the majority of students in grade 10 would be 16. 

Here are some backgrounders promoting youth pre-registration:

Here is the 2011 report from the Chief Electoral Officer of BC where he recommends allowing youth to pre-register to vote at 16

"Encouraging youth participation

The lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24 years of age. There is a 

positive correlation between voting and being registered as a voter before General Voting 

Day. The most effective means of registering youth may be to approach them before they 

graduate from high school. Currently, voter registration is restricted to those at least 18 

years of age, an age when many youth have left high school. 

Australia has addressed this issue by allowing provisional voter registration of 17 year 

olds. Several American states have provisional registration for 16 or 17 year olds, or 

have introduced Bills or declared their intention to do so in this regard.

Legislators may wish to consider allowing the provisional registration of individuals 

when they are 16 years of age. The voting age could remain at 18, with provisional 

registration becoming an active registration on an individual’s 18th birthday. Permitting 

early registration at the age of 16 would permit Elections BC to work with schools and 

the driver licensing program to ensure maximum exposure to the registration process for 

young voters. Many high school teachers have expressed support for this concept as it 

would allow meaningful action by their students in the context of civics education. 

Improving the accessibility of registration opportunities for youth may have a longer-term 

effect on voter engagement and turnout."

This has background on how several US states allow youth pre-registration

"Several other states have changed registration rules to encourage civic participation by youth. 

In Hawaii, eligible 16-year-olds are allowed to pre-register so that their voter status is 

automatically activated at age 18. In the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Florida, Maine, 

Wisconsin, Missouri, and Texas, pre-registration is open to 17 year olds. Federal legislation 

was introduced in 2004, the Gateway to Democracy Act, to allow teenagers to preregister, 

with an emphasis on those applying for their driver’s licenses (in most states, at 16 years of 

age). Wisconsin reaches out to young voters with a state law establishing a “registration 

deputy” at every high school, filled by a volunteering teacher or staff person."

Here is a really in-depth study of the impact of youth pre-registration in Hawaii and Florida, demonstrating the link between pre-registering and actual voter turnout as well as the importance of civic education from George Mason University

"Thousands of young people in these states take advantage of preregistration, and preregistration appears to have positive and persisting long-term effects on their voting propensities...Success of preregistration is maximized when election officials and educators act as partners.... As policy makers consider how to implement preregistration programs elsewhere, providing for means of ensuring participation by educators, such as requiring preregistration as a component of a mandatory high school civics curriculum, will likely result in the most robust implementation of preregistration."

That last quote I think really brings it home. 

My policy for the OYL South Central Regional Policy Parliament - Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education

I wrote about the merits of lowering the age of voter registration to 16 back in April, and I've turned it into a policy for the OYL South Central Regional Policy Parliament tomorrow. Take a look!

Encouraging Youth Democratic Participation and Improving Civic Education

 WHEREAS – The lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24 years of age

WHEREAS – There is a positive correlation between voting and being registered as a voter before General Voting Day

WHEREAS – Australia and several American states allow for voter registration below the age of 18

WHEREAS – The Chief Electoral Officer of British Columbia recommended in 2011 in his Report to the Legislative Assembly to amend the BC Elections Act to allow the provisional registration of individuals when they are 16 years of age

WHEREAS – Ontario Young Liberals have previously passed policies encouraging youth democratic participation and improving the Civics class as part of Ontario’s curriculum

BE IT RESOLVED THAT – The Ontario government amend the Ontario Elections Act to permit the registration of individuals onto the voter list when they are 16 years of age

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT – The Ontario government amend the Civics portion of the Ontario High School curriculum to include the voter registration process, as the majority of students in grade 10 would be 16

What's another 20 mil of your tax dollars, anyway?

After years of using your tax dollars for partisan self promotion, the Conservatives want $20 million more of your tax dollars to keep the ball rolling. Every time you see a taxpayer funded ad while watching the playoffs, that's $95,000 of your tax dollars. That same amount could create 32 summer jobs for youth, which would really help the economy.

PS: Here's what it looks like when a government actually cares more about ensuring youth are an active part of the economy.

Lowering the age of voter registration to 16: An idea worth looking at

I've been reading up lately on the potential benefits to lowering the age of voter registration. The BC NDP has tabled some legislation to lower the age of voter registration to 16, based on a recommendation from the Chief Electoral Officer of BC in 2011:


The lowest voter registration rates are for young voters 18-24 years of age. There is a 
positive correlation between voting and being registered as a voter before General Voting 
Day. The most effective means of registering youth may be to approach them before they 
graduate from high school. Currently, voter registration is restricted to those at least 18 
years of age, an age when many youth have left high school. 

Australia has addressed this issue by allowing provisional voter registration of 17 year 
olds. Several American states have provisional registration for 16 or 17 year olds, or 
have introduced Bills or declared their intention to do so in this regard.

Legislators may wish to consider allowing the provisional registration of individuals 
when they are 16 years of age. The voting age could remain at 18, with provisional 
registration becoming an active registration on an individual’s 18th birthday. Permitting 
early registration at the age of 16 would permit Elections BC to work with schools and 
the driver licensing program to ensure maximum exposure to the registration process for 
young voters. Many high school teachers have expressed support for this concept as it 
would allow meaningful action by their students in the context of civics education. 
Improving the accessibility of registration opportunities for youth may have a longer-term 
effect on voter engagement and turnout.


Here is another good piece on the possible benefits of lowering the age of voter registration and the experiences of several US states.

Lowering the actual age of voting is oft debated, but I'm not convinced that it would have an overall positive impact on youth voter turnout percentage. Allowing (or perhaps even making it a part of high school civics class) is a solid, workable way to address issues of youth voter turnout and youth engagement, and I think it's worth examining by governments.

A great youth endorsement for Anita Vandenebeld

http://youthforanita.blogspot.com/2010/11/great-youth-endorsement-for-anita.html

With the campaign getting into crunch time, it's great to see a campaign that not only reaches out and engages youth, but has them play a real leadership role. Anita's campaign and her efforts to involve youth in the political process have Young Liberals all across Ottawa talking! Join us on Nov 28th and elect a champion for youth, Anita Vandenbeld!

Ontario New Democratic Youth taken over by radical Marxists

No longer is it hyperbole to attack the Ontario NDP as unacceptably left-wing, after the Ontario NDP Youth wing was taken over last weekend by the so called "Slate for a Democratic and Activist ONDY" , an openly Marxist group linked with Fightback magazine, and the recently de-ratified and far-left Toronto Young New Democrats.

The far-left take on it here: http://www.marxist.ca/content/view/613/47/

And here: http://www.rabble.ca/babble/central-canada/ondy-slugfest

And lest you think the ONDP caucus is recoiling in fear at the Ontario NDP Youth turning to the Marxist left, here are two letters in support of the TYND from Cheri DiNovo and Michael Prue:

Dear ONDY Executive,

As the MPP for Beaches-East York, I add my voice in support of the Toronto Youth New Democrats

The decision to de-charter TYND came as a great surprise. This club has done phenomenal work in the past year, what comes to mind is the great work and support they provided in the Cathy Crowe Campaign. They have succeeded in building vibrant working communities, throughout the city, implemented a successful summer camp, strive to help the needy, and lend a voice to the silent... I am in support of the TYND being re-chartered, to allow them to continue their great work.

Yours truly,
Michael Prue, MPP
Beaches-East York

To Whom It May Concern

I am loathe to comment on ONDY activities as they are in every sense a separate organization but a letter has been brought to my attention that merits comment because it misrepresents the history of my party, the NDP, in shall I say, a Stalinist or McCarthyist manner (yes there are similarities).

We were founded as the CCF and the NDP on principles which have included socialism and one of our founders who was both a social gospel adherent and a Socialist, JS Woodsworth defined himself as such. So have Tommy Douglas, Jack Layton and Stephen Lewis among dozens of other in our history, using 'Democratic Socialism' as their descriptor.

The definition of what socialism is, whether socialism is our position, what kind of socialism etc.has also been part of our DNA as a party and ONDY has often been the appropriate place for such debates. That is simply democracy at work.

We are a big tent party with room for many different opinions and robust dialogue. This is also democracy at work.

To expel members or de-charter chapters of ONDY because we disagree with some opinions using as cover a skewed history of our party is not democratic. It is called 'red-baiting'. Put it to a vote under the rules of democracy we have always held dear.

We need unity yes, but never at the cost of democracy.

Wishing you all a wonderful and rich with debate, convention.

Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo
MPP Parkdale High Park

And from the most recent issue of Fightback, vocal words of support in favour of Andrea Horwath:

There is, however, an alternate trend developing within the NDP and in the labour movement that needs to be strengthened. The recently elected leader of the Ontario NDP Andrea Horwath, in her speech that won over the most trade union support and ensured her victory in the contest for new party leader, clearly stated, “We New Democrats won’t check our socialism at the door when it comes to building a better future.” Many unions, such as the CEP and Steelworkers, are also making statements criticizing the capitalist system. Given the economic crisis and the failure of capitalism, this is quite obviously the direction the party should be moving in.

http://www.marxist.ca/content/view/609/47/

Apparently now the ONDP administrative committee is looking into the election, saying that illegal voting occured. Let's see how this plays out for the newly elected comrades of the ONDY.

Cop 15-My First Day

I got into Copenhagen this morning and got myself all registered as a delegate. Copenhagen is a wonderful city, but I have spent most of my time thus far at the Conference itself, and it is hard not to notice one thing in particular: Every time you turn around, China has some kind of presence. From having its own pavilion boasting of what China has either done or is planning on doing, to leading the group of 77 developing nations, it is impossible to ignore the voice of China at this conference. As both a developing nation and an economic giant, it is well positioned to emerge as a broker in any successful climate talks.More importantly, China’s rise in the discussion of green development, which could give China a massive comparative advantage as we transition into a lower-carbon emitting economy in the 21st century are not simply imagined. China has invested in green tech to demonstrate an advantage to some.

While some are pointing to the “Climategate” affair as an excuse to dismiss the conference, a few sentences which are taken totally out of context do not an affair make , (nor does releasing a sexy time later) China is surely cheering on the climate skeptics who are attempting to cause the greatest market failure since the Depression. The new economic industrial order will be a green one, and the skeptics bring nothing to the depate.

Martha Hall Findlay supports Young Liberal Copenhagen delegation

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/rooftop-protest/#clip243624 (Jump to about the 7:20 mark)

Many thanks to Martha Hall Findlay for supporting the YLC Cop-15 delegation on national tv earlier today (although I am biased, I am dating one of the people she mentions by name). It is great to know that the senior party and MP's are supportive of our efforts to show the world that despite Harper winning the Fossil Award once again, Canadians, and in particular, Young Liberals, are standing up to show the world that Canada does care about the environment. Merci, Martha!

It's all our fault

Says Lawrence Martin: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/if-theres-an-inspiration-deficit-in-our-politics-blame-it-on-the-young/article1247173/

Back in say, 2003-004, the issue of youth alienation from politics was a big one, with Paul Martin making the issue part of his general push of "democratic renewal" when he took over as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister.

Now, the issue of youth politics is lower on the national agenda than ever before. I think a few factor contribute to this. One, youth feel even less engaged in the political system than ever before. If in 2004 the buzzword as alienation, with youth wanting to get involved, but not knowing how, the current zeitgeist is one of apathy, with youth really not caring one way or the other about politics.

Martin's article mentions young voters are drawn towards the Green Party in numbers far greater than other demographics. With large numbers of youth who are engaged politically locked in to supporting a party that probably will fail to win a seat for the 3rd consecutive election since they broke out of the fringes, the major parties see no point in reaching out to a segment of the population that probably won't vote to start with, and if they do, will vote for a party that has little ability to influence the national agenda of the country.

What Martin doesn't discuss, and I think is relevant to understanding why youth are disengaged, is the general sense of my generation that things need to happen quickly. Generation Y is a impatient bunch, and I think we lack a general understanding that it takes time and energy to make course changes of the great ship of state. We do care about things like Darfur and the environment, so we go to rallies, wear fashionable buttons, etc, but don't vote, because we see the political system as too slow moving to try and make social change. This is most unfortunate, because in the political climate of this nation, party politics and parliamentarism is the only effective way to make changes.

However, I do target Martin for saying that it is the fault of the youth for the "inspirational defict." Last election, Stephane Dion and the Green Shift offered the most bold vision for country, and the probably the first time since Turner/Mulroney in the free trade election of 1988 that a major party ran an election campaign around a "big idea." It was not the youth who felt that Dion was "not a leader" or that a carbon tax was a "crazy idea". Many pundits who now lament that Canada lacks leaders with "vision" were the same ones who said that the Green Shift in post-mortem was too bold a policy idea.

However, I do think we can tie the idea of youth being disengaged to the recent poll findings that says that the Liberals are starting to fall behind the NDP and the Conservatives among youth voters. As a Young Liberal, I believe we have to do a much better job of promoting the values of liberalism to youth. We need to talk about how only the Liberal Party can deliever a Canada to the youth of today that is united tomorrow, with a stronger economy. This summer was the worst on record for youth employment, when Parliament resumes, I believe Ignatieff should emerge with a strong youth employment strategy, to both help the economy, which is issue number 1, and re-engage youth supporters back to the Liberal Party.

Tories show true colours on Youth

Check out my entry into the YLC positive politics contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MevlKbbGzdM
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With the NS Tories running third, I can understand why Conservative Premier Rodney MacDonald would want to try and rally the base, but this move reeks of being an electoral "Hail Mary". For the Tories, however, this bound to be intercepted pass shows true Conservative colours on youth: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nsvotes2009/story/2009/05/21/novascotiavotes-curfew-tories.html

PC leader Rodney MacDonald said he can't think of any reason why a child would be out on the street at 1 a.m.

Oh, I don't know, how about, not committing crimes? The fact that similar curfews have been struck down across the country doesn't seem to matter, as this is just another example of when it comes to crime/justice issues, the Tories will always put effectiveness and legality behind raw partisan appeal.