Democracy 250 released their reports today that addresses the fundamental issue of voter apathy among young people. Two reports, one of which outlines the events surrounding the D250 initiative and the other titled ‘Is Anybody Listening’ addresses the issue first hand. The first page of the report blasts a staggering statistic:
Seventy-five percent of youth
between 18 and 25 years of age
didn’t vote
in the 2006 Federal Election
We are used to seeing low turnout at the municipal level, but typically the federal election tends to draw a bit of a crowd. Although it was clear that the recommendations of the report focused more on how to engage young people in politics, there was one portion of the report that recommended E-Voting as a means to engage young people.
Accelerate E-voting, beginning with a pilot program on university and college campuses. Youth have repeatedly said that voting online would encourage them to cast their ballots. Many youth expressed frustration that this system does not currently exist and that the current method of voting is outdated, time consuming and frustrating. Implementing a pilot project on campuses will not only build enthusiasm and capture young people’s attention, but also make young people feel that they are part of the democratic process.
The report is available online at the following link.
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