Samantha Maxis was surprised when she heard there was a federal election coming at the end of April — a fact she only discovered by overhearing her university classmates discuss the candidates.
This story is part of an editorial partnership between the Calgary Journal and MacEwan University journalism.
The second-year student realized she likely wouldn’t have time to vote, or look into the candidates herself, due to her busy schedule at the end of the term.
“Why would I want more work when I am already swamped?” said Maxis.
Although Maxis would like to vote, her lack of time, knowledge, and motivation regarding the election are considerable barriers to casting her vote. She’s not alone.
Young people are less likely to turn out when they view voting as a choice rather than a duty, said Jack Lucas, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary.
“I think anyone, and especially young people, need to understand what is at stake in an election for them and for the people they care about,” he said.
Young people consistently return the lowest voter turnout rates compared to any other age demographic.
In the 2021 federal election, for instance, only 46.7 per cent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 showed up to cast their ballots, about 15 per cent less compared to the national average. It was even lower in 2011, when turnout among this age group fell to 38.8 per cent.
Even in the 2015 election, when a huge rise in turnout among young Canadians helped elect Justin Trudeau to power for the first time, the youth vote was still below the national average.
Leanne Nyirfa, a spokesperson for Elections Canada, said research on voter turnout in the 2021 election shows that young people were less interested in Canadian politics, less trusting of the election process, and felt less strongly that voting will make a difference compared to older age groups.
“For this election, Elections Canada has deployed a number of initiatives aimed at youth to help address some of the access barriers that youth say they’re facing,” she said.
Nyirfa said tactics aimed at youth include a digital campaign that encourages young people to engage on social media platforms, which is a first for a general election.
“We do want to increase the number of youths who come out to vote and give them the opportunities to learn,” she said.
According to a study by Elections Canada on political engagement, the preferred news source for most younger Canadians is social media apps, while older Canadians prefer television news.
Getting trusted news about the election on social media, however, has proven difficult. In 2023, Meta began blocking Canadian news sharing on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.
Rachel Grigg, a political science masters student at the University of Calgary, said she does her best to educate herself about politics, despite receiving a lot of her information from social media feeds.
“Social media can be dangerous if you’re not taking media literacy seriously and really digging into things yourself,” she said. “There is a lot of information out there, and it can feel really intimidating.”
Grigg said another reason young people are less likely to vote is that there is a notable lack of representation of their age group in politics.
“Politics is not respondent to them or the issues they care about,” she said.
A Statistics Canada survey found that the top reason young people didn’t vote in the 2021 federal election was everyday life or health issues, such as being too busy, out of town or dealing with illness or disability.
The second most common reason was political reasons, including lack of interest, limited information or feeling their vote wouldn’t matter.
Evidently, time constraints and not feeling informed contribute to low numbers of youth voter turnout.
This sentiment rings true for young students like Maxis and her hectic schedule, which she feels prevents her from becoming more politically engaged.
Although she acknowledges the importance of voting for the future, she struggles to find time to learn about the election amid the pressure of university deadlines.
“I’d like to vote,” she said. “But I need more knowledge.”
The election is scheduled for April 28, 2025.