In my hometown of Mississauga, we will have a mayoral election and in Ontario we will have a provincial election. I turned 18 over a year ago but these will be the first times I am eligible to vote in an election.
I am excited but it seems like many of my friends and family of similar age are not as enthusiastic. It is not only my friends, many of our youth are not motivated to get into the political process as well.
We live in a democracy and to see so many of our youth not interested in the political process is deeply concerning to political scientists and me personally. There are massive issues facing my generation; from climate change to many social equality issues. We need our voices heard. We cannot expect change when we don’t voice our concerns by voting.
How do we get more young voters out on voting day? Do we lower the voting at to 16 so they are eligible from a younger age? Do we make voting compulsory? Do we switch to e-voting? These are serious questions that have yet to truly be answered by politicians.
I personally think that we should lower the voting age to 16 or even 15. Many people may think that is too young but I disagree. I also believe that voting should be mandatory or at least encouraged. We may need create "a carrot on a stick” type incentive.
By: Troy Sidarous
