As a first time voter I was really excited to go to the polling station May 2.
I’ve waited my whole life to turn 18 so I could have a voice in a election.
But after watching the election results this year, I cannot express the disappointment on the voter turnout.
Fifty-eight per cent is the lowest in Canada’s history.
It does not take much effort to drive, walk, bike or bus to your designated polling station. Laziness is no excuse.
For those who did not know who to vote for or knew nothing about what was going on during the elections, you could have easily researched it.
This generation has so many resources. You can easily look up stuff on the Internet about a political party’s ideologies and the plans of the candidates.
People should take an interest in politics. It affects everyone from how much you earn in your job, to education.
Politicians really need to find a way to engage Canadians to vote, especially the youth today. They need to speak the youth’s language and show that politics can be interesting and fun.
So those who did not vote this past election, I really feel that you don’t have the right to complain.
Voting is a time to really voice your opinion, and 42 per cent of the voting population did not do that.
Many people around the world would do anything to be able to vote.
Just remember that one vote can make a huge difference and is disappoints me that people just don’t care.
Maria Gabor-Martinez
Editor’s note:
Elections Canada reports voter turnout in this election as 61.4 per cent, which is slightly higher than the historic low of 58.8 per cent in 2008.