Right to Vote

"The right to vote is one of the great privileges of democratic society, for after all it is you the people, not the Gallup poll, who determine into whose hands the guidance of public affairs may best be entrusted."

-John G. Diefenbaker (1962)

Voter Apathy

Dana Summers - Don't just talk, do something!

Voter turnout rates have waxed and waned since Confederation between about 65 and 75 percent. However, the table below shows a noticeable drop in voter turnout since 2000.

Year	1988	1993	1997	2000	2004	2006
Voter Turnout Rates	75.3%	69.6%	67.0%	61.2%	60.5%	64.7%

Add to these numbers the 61% turnout for the 2011 election. Other Western democracies like Britain, France, and the United States have also experienced similar drops in voter participation. Statistics suggest that voter apathy is most common among young voters.

By far the two most common reasons people gave for not voting in 2000 were:

1)   I just wasn't interested in the election.
2)   I didn't like the parties or the candidates.

Both of these reasons reflect a failure on the part of the education system. A lack of interest indicates that voters do not understand the direct effects policy makers have on their lives. Teachers need to be educated on how current policy changes will effect the demographics of their students and the issues these students care about. Apathy due to frustration with the candidates who are running also depends on ignorance, since the vote is a citizen's fundamental right to affect change. Not voting because of political discontent eliminates the most important avenue for voicing that discontent! As teachers we can have a direct role in reducing voter apathy.

Charlie Daniel - What needs to be done to increase voter turnout?

The Development of the right to vote in Canada

1867 - The first Canadian election after Confederation. Only male owners of property of a certain value are allowed to vote.

1874 - The Dominion Elections Act brings in the use of the secret ballot and the practice of holding a general election on the same day in all electoral districts.

1916 - Saskatchewan women are given the right to vote (Federal voting was also determined at the provincial level from 1898-1920)

1918 - The right to vote is given to women 21 years of age or older

1920 - Debates are held on a revised Elections Act 1920. This quote from Hugh Guthrie may serve to illustrate the climate of the times (contrast with the Diefenbaker quote above):

"So far as I know, citizenship in no country carries with it the right to vote. The right to vote is a conferred right in every case ... This Parliament says upon what terms men shall vote ... No Oriental, whether he be Hindu, Japanese or Chinese, acquires the right to vote simply by the fact of citizenship ..."

1948 - Property ownership is completely eliminated as a criteria for the right to vote.

          - Canadians of Asian origin are given the right to vote in Federal elections.

1950 - Inuit people given the right to vote in Federal elections

1955 - Conscientious objectors like some Mennonites and Doukhobors are given the right to vote in Federal elections

1960 - All First Nations people are given the right to vote in Federal elections without the requirement that they give up their status under the Indian Act.

A vision of Canada before the introduction of the secret ballot: brought to you by the CBC (sort of)

The importance of the secret ballot, instituted in 1874 with the Dominion Elections Act, is often underestimated. This clip from the CBC movie, John A: Birth of a Country, shows us a few of the reasons why the secret ballot is so important (sorry about the poor quality. The full version is available and looking good via  this link. This clip begins at about the 1:50 mark in the full version.):

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