The provincial election is half over and campaigns to get people aged 18 to 35 to vote are in full swing.
Apathy is Boring launched The Superficial Voting Society April 29 as a fun online campaign to encourage youth to vote May 14.
"It's hard to change a 40-year trend of low voter turnout," said IIona Dougherty, executive director of Apathy is Boring.
"Being informed is an important part of civic engagement and Apathy is Boring offers youth tools and support they need to do so," she said. "In the two weeks leading up to the election, the social media campaign will share tweets and Facebook posts featuring tongue-in cheek messages that depict seemingly insignificant and superficial reasons to vote using the tagline Your Reason Is Your Reason. Just Vote."
Dougherty thinks the challenge to get youth out to vote is two-fold. "Political candidates need to go where youth are and listen to their concerns. We also know the biggest challenge is that students need to get registered. If they get their voting card in the mail they are more likely to vote," she said.
Katie Marocchi, the B.C. chair for the Canadian Federation of Students, agrees. "Students want to see their positions reflected in what politicians are saying and a lot of time students don't see that," she said.
Marocchi said robocall scandals and parties engaging in mudslinging and smear campaigns have eroded confidence in the electoral system.
CFS has launched Rock the Vote B.C. which has seen student unions across the province register thousands of students and provide spaces on campus for students to debate, host all-candidates forums and populate Facebook and Twitter with messages about the election.
"Polling data suggests that 87 per cent of British Columbians believe tuition fees should be frozen or reduced," Marocchi said.
Since 2001, tuition fees have more than doubled and the provincial grants program have been cut. The average student debt in B.C. for a four-year program is $27,000. "Politicians need to offer meaningful solutions to the rising costs of education and the student debt crisis. Until then, crippling debt will limit our ability to participate fully in the economy," said Marocchi.
Political parties across the spectrum have addressed education concerns in some way or another. "For example, the B.C. Liberal Party has promised an open-text book program, the NDP, more funding to trades and a grants program, the Greens have proposed 20 per cent reductions to tuition fees, and last night [during the televised debate] Cummins of the Conservative Party spoke to access to trades training and how tuition fees were a barrier," said Marocchi.
ttthill@hotmail.com
