Many Canadians aren't voting, particularly young Canadians. Why? Because politics moves slowly.

This article on the ongoing decline in Canadian voter participation, particularly by youth in the Globe today by Michael Adams, President of the Environics Institute for Survey Research and  Maryantonett Flumian, President of the Institute on Governance  has been shared by more than a few people I know on Facebook, so I thought I would share my thought on the subject and some of the ideas the article raises.

"One reason for declining turnout is a deep shift in social values away from deference to institutional authority. It used to be that if society’s leaders told us to do something, we did as we were told. Now people are more likely to make personal calculations about whether voting is worth the effort. Canadians are also less driven by a sense of duty than they once were. Eighty-three per cent of Canadians over 60 say voting is a duty; 48 per cent of those 18 to 39 agree."

The decline in voter turnout over the past several decades is an inarguable fact, in large part driven by the continuing low turnout of Canadians under the age of 40. An interesting idea, however, is that while Canadians have turned away from voting as duty that must be done in service, Canadians do seem to still be engaged in voluntary civic activity that could be described as informal activism, compared to the "hard" activism of casting a ballot:

"Indeed, recent research conducted by the Environics Institute as part of the biennial Americas Barometer survey, supported by the Ottawa-headquartered Institute on Governance, found Canadians expressing civic engagement in a number of ways besides voting. These included signing petitions, sharing political information online, and participating in demonstrations and protests."

A couple of thoughts: One, I think the relationship between these two sets of data (declining voter turnout but a continuing level of engagement in politics and public affairs being expressed through other, more informal activity) is a point against mandatory voting, a potential idea the authors float in the piece. Introducing mandatory voting would be a way to bootstrap voter turn out for sure, but given that Canadians are turning away from voluntary voting when cast as a duty, I have serious doubts it would improve the actual character of Canadian politics. (I'm also going to take this opportunity to shameless promote improving civic education, an issue I have heavily advocated for and engaged with as readers of this space would know).

The other thought that I have related to casual vs formal political engagement, particularly as it relates to youth. When you sign a petition, go to a rally, share something on Facebook, re-tweet something, or yes, write a blog, you get an immediate result, some emotional fulfillment that you have done something. People might like the post, re-tweet it to others, post a photo of going to a rally, etc. It gives you an immediate return on the emotional investment you put into it. It feels good to do these things, and they are relatively simple and time effective ways to help promote a cause you feel inclined towards.

If you are effective enough, or the enough people are a part of the same cause, you can even get some pretty tangible results from casual activism, particularly since online activism happens in real time and can snowball pretty quickly. We've seen this happen enough times that I don't have to link a particular example even; a person, brand, company etc sends out an insensitive tweet, says something discriminatory, etc. It gets publicized, hundreds of thousands of people tweet, Facebook, blog or something else the dismay and condemnation towards this, and the offending party issues an apologize, removes a social media manager, or announces a change in policy. I'm honestly not demeaning those who engage in a lot of political activity and activism online, since it can in fact have a pretty quick result. You see something you don't like, you share a message publicizing the offending content or spreading a message, which lets you feel like even as an individual you are part of a greater cause, and not infrequently, you actually get a tangible reaction.

Compare that to the relatively more glacial pace of "hard" activism in politics and government. Bills go through multiple readings, go to committee, and can take years to be fully implemented, and that's just on the government side. Within political parties, ideas can take years to gain popular support and become politically acceptable enough to become official party policy.

Right now, I have plenty of things that I'm annoyed at about the Harper government. Using the traditional tools of formal political engagement, what are my options. Well, I'm helping out my local Liberal candidate, encouraging people to read up on him, and consider voting for him...in an election that is scheduled to happen 8 months from now. And even if I do manage to change to minds of a lot of people at the doors, we have a majority government federally right now, so if the Conservatives just want to try and ride out the storm and push whatever issue and policy forward, they're fully capable and entitled to under out parliamentary system. 

Sure, occasionally we've seen public opposition ferment to the degree that the Conservatives have had to back track or change course on a handful of initiatives such as the Fair Elections Act and potentially Veterans Affairs, but by and large in a majority government, the ruling party can do whatever they please as long as they keep at least a certain segment of the electorate onside, regardless of how loud those who are in opposition howl, or tweet, or blog, protest or petition. (I'm using the Conservatives as a punching bag, but I'm take my partisan hat off as the core concept remains the same regardless of which party holds power.)

So with that in mind, what can political parties and "traditional" political activists like myself do?

I think blending the ideas of formal and informal activism, through use of national days of action to train volunteers outside of an election period, but also things like internal petitions and social media teams are important. These are both ideas that have been developed in large part from the Obama campaign and brought north. While constant emails from parties can get annoying sometimes, you wouldn't get them so constantly if they weren't effective at engaging you in between elections.

I also think this should be a lesson to parties and activists to push to make sure they are responsive and relevant to the issues that people care about, as opposed to scandal mongering whatever happens to be the issue of the day. This is something that, to be frank, in the run up to the last federal election I think the opposition did too much, and it allowed Harper is position himself as "the only leader focused on jobs and the economy", with a similar scenario I think playing out in Ontario with Hudak's relentless focus on smearing the government when people had in large part moved on and wanted to hear what parties said on other issues. 

Ensuring parties themselves are open is also important to make sure people's itch of engagement is scratched. The introduction of the supporter category during the federal Liberal leadership was a good first step, but personally I wouldn't be opposed to going a step further and letting supporters vote in nomination meetings.

If we are, as Susan Delacourt suggests in Shopping for Votes, that Canadians are taking a more consumer based approach to politics, Canadian political parties can't afford to overlook the importance of instant gratification in appealing to both the population as a whole and potential volunteers and activists. 

CBC article on Ontario budget mentions my youth voter registration policy

Yes, this is shameless self-promotion on my part, but hey, my Mom thought it was cool:

"The Liberals also plan to revamp the Grade 10 Civics curriculum to get students more involved in their communities and introduce voter registration in high schools."

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

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.

Vote for a jobs Premier, vote for Charles Sousa at your LEM today!

He's proven he can win. He has the business experience and financial acumen Ontario families trust. He's put forward bold ideas for renewing our party and growing the economy.

But he can't do it without you.

If you're an Ontario Liberal Party member and live in Easter, Central, or Northern Ontario, you need to get out to vote today! Here is a list of ridings and clubs that will hold LEMs today, and if you aren't sure where to vote, check out http://www.votesousa.ca/lem

EASTERN


Carleton-Mississippi Mills

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell

Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock

Kingston and the Islands

Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington

Leeds-Grenville

Nepean-Carleton

Northumberland-Quinte West

Ottawa Centre

Ottawa South

Ottawa West-Nepean

Ottawa-Orleans

Ottawa-Vanier

Peterborough

Prince Edward-Hastings

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke

Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry

Nepean Women's Club

Ottawa-Orleans Women's Club

Carelton University Student Club

Queen's University Student Club

University of Ottawa Student Club



CENTRAL

Ajax-Pickering

Barrie

Bramalea-Gore-Malton

Brampton West

Brampton-Springdale

Dufferin-Caledon

Durham

Halton

Markham-Unionville

Mississauga East-Cooksville

Mississauga South

Mississauga-Brampton South

Mississauga-Erindale

Mississauga-Streetsville

Newmarket-Aurora

Oak Ridges-Markham

Oakville

Oshawa

Richmond Hill

Simcoe North

Simcoe-Grey

Thornhill

Vaughan

Whitby-Oshawa

York-Simcoe

Southern York Region Women's Club

University of Toronto - Mississauga



NORTHERN

Algoma-Manitoulin

Kenora-Rainy River

Nickel Belt

Nipissing

Parry Sound-Muskoka

Sault Ste. Marie

Sudbury

Thunder Bay-Atikokan

Thunder Bay-Atikokan

Thunder Bay-Superior North

Timiskaming-Cochrane

Timiskaming-Cochrane

Timmins-James Bay

Thunder Bay Area Women's Club

Laurentian University Student Club

Nippissing University Student Club

How Ontario Universities vote: Eastern Ontario edition

As an experiment, I thought I would take a look at how university campuses vote, and how they compare to the general election results of the ridings they are in. I've combined the on-campus results from the 2007 provincial, and 2008 federal elections, and compared them. This time around, Carleton, U of O, and Queens.

Combining results from 2007 provincial and 2008 federal election

Sources: http://earth.smurfmatic.net/canada2008/polls/ for federal and http://kodonnell.ca/canpoli/ for provincial, in addition to Punditsguide.ca and Elections Canada and Elections Ontario

Note: The numbers will not always be perfect, for example, some polls (such as in Ottawa-Vanier) blend residences in with non student housing on campuses such as U of O, so total accuracy cannot be used, but general trends can still be noticed. Additionally, some schools appear not to have had polling stations on campus for the 07 election (or at least that I could find), so only the data from 2008 will be used for those.

Carleton University-Ottawa Centre

Totals

NDP-571
LIB-413
CON-242
GRN-169

Total Votes: 1395

NDP-41
LIB-30
CON-17
GRN-12

Compared with actual riding results (averaged between the two elections)

NDP-36 (+5)
LIB-31 (-1)
CON-22 (-5)
GRN-11 (+1)

University of Ottawa-Ottawa-Vanier
Note: According to both O’Donnell’s website, and Elections Ontario, no polling station was at U of O in 2007, so this will only feature the federal results. Also note that it appears that U of O res polls are blended in with some of the housing areas nearby, so not every voter in this list would actually be an on-campus student.

Polls: 401

LIB-501
NDP-371
CON-225
GRN-142

Total votes: 1239

LIB-40
NDP-30
CON-18
GRN-11

Actual results from 2008:

LIB-46(-6)
CON-27 (-9)
NDP-17(+13)
GRN-9 (+2)

Queen’s University-Kingston and the Islands
Notes: Can only find federal data, might be mixed in with non-student housing

Totals:


LIB-311
CON-221
GRN-165
NDP-125

822

LIB-38
CON-27
GRN-20
NDP-15

Actual 2008 results

LIB-39 (-1)
CON-33 (-6)
NDP-18 (-3)
GRN-11 (+9)

Ireland Rejecting Lisbon Treaty?

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0613/breaking1.htm

In the only European nation to have a referendum on the treaty, early results have the no side ahead roughly 54-46. A rejection would likely wreck current the current round of implimentation. The Yes side has been criticized for running a poor campaign. More to follow.

EDIT: Irish Justice Minister Dermont Ahern says the No side has won:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7452171.stm