Elections Manitoba appeals to young voters: “Some choices matter more than just your aptitude check. Vote.’ -Winnipeg
As Manitoba’s provincial election approaches, efforts to capture the attention of young voters are beginning to take off.
This week, Elections Manitoba began targeting new voters with a generationally coded phrase that most young people and internet users will be able to decipher: “Some choices mean more than your suitability check.” Vote.”
According to StayHipp.com, fit check means “check my outfit.”
Michael Ambrose, director of communications and public information for Elections Manitoba, said he hopes the message will encourage young voters to vote.
“Research shows that non-voters tend to be younger voters and that young people vote in smaller numbers,” he said. “What we were trying to do was really grab the attention of young voters with this campaign.“
Ambrose said the same process applied to deciding what to wear should also be applied to voting.
“You evaluate your options, you do some research, you maybe talk to friends and family, and then you make a plan,” he said.
A poll conducted after the previous Manitoba election showed that only 11 per cent of respondents who voted were aged 18 to 24.
Curtis Brown, director of Probe Research, says this year could see an increase.
“Turnout tends to be higher in competitive elections or elections that are subject to change. We saw an increase in participation in 2016, when the Progressive Conservatives were first elected,” he said.
However, Brown said he doesn’t expect a huge increase in the number of people showing up to the polls.
“The days of, say, 70, 75, 80 percent participation – which you might have seen in the ’50s and ’60s – are long gone. But you know, we could see something closer to 60 percent,” he said.
Brown said instability and movement in young people’s lives tends to play a role in their refusal to vote.
“When people are younger, they tend to rent, they tend to move around more. They do not necessarily appear on the electoral list for their constituency. The process of going to vote can sometimes [have] more steps involved,” he said.
The danger, Brown said, comes when young people make a habit of not voting.
“It’s something that’s a bit of a problem and a bit of a concern. If people, when they’re younger, get into the habit of not voting and don’t do it for the rest of their lives, I mean, then we’re going to see a decline in voter turnout and ultimately ultimately, to a weaker democracy. ,” he said.
Brown said that in addition to falling into habits of not voting, “there has been a broad decline in civic participation, and voting is just a symptom, or an element, of that.”
Young potential voters have had mixed reactions to the ad campaign so far, but the results won’t be clear until it is vetted after Election Day on Oct. 3.
— With files from Katherine Dornian of PKBNEWS
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