Most of those who were eligible to vote in the 2021 federal election voted, while most of the newly eligible electors were excited to vote for the first time in the upcoming elections.
To begin each group session, participants were asked about their eligibility during the 2021 federal election and whether they voted or not if eligible. The vast majority of those who were eligible in the 2021 federal election voted. A handful were newly 18 since the election, and most of them intended to vote in the upcoming federal election. When asked about their feelings about being newly eligible, some of them expressed their excitement to vote for the first time. A vast majority of participants saw voting as important, including those who did not vote or were ambivalent about voting.
"[Voting] is definitely something I have been excited about my entire life. As far as I can remember, I wanted to go. It's been a huge part of my upbringing. My parents have always impressed upon me that it's important. So yeah, very much so."
"I think [voting] is exciting because if enough people vote, they have the power to choose who best represents their beliefs and values, and, ideally, that person is going to make a change for the better."
"I'm excited to vote in the way that I'm excited to go to the registry to renew my ID or go grocery shopping. It's something I'm glad I'm able to do, and I treat it just like it's a fact of life. You go to the grocery store, you pay your bills, and you vote, because that's what you do in a civilized democratic society."
"I think I do it because it's my duty but also to have my say because everyone has a voice."
Carving time out of a busy day, believing their vote does not matter, lacking information about political parties and platforms, and voting while living away from home are the main barriers which prevented young Canadians from voting.
For those who were indifferent about voting, they did not see voting as important enough to carve time out of their day, i.e. finding and commuting to the polling station, the hassle of leaving early from work/school, etc. A handful said they felt a sense of powerlessness about voting because they did not think their vote would make an impact. This was especially true within the Prairies group due to the nature of rural ridings, and the perception that election outcomes are extremely predictable and, therefore, voting does not matter as much.
"For [people who live in] rural areas like me, although we have towns nearby that have all these [polling] stations, it's still like a 15-minute drive either way. And if we have work, we are not just going to stop and go voting."
"I think for me, the lines are too long. I remembered last time going and the lines outside the community centre were just so long. I had to wait. I felt like that might turn [voters away]."
"In my voting area, everybody knows who's going to win, both provincially and federally. And it's been the same for so many years. [It makes me feel that] your actual vote doesn't really seem to matter... It's very well known that in rural Alberta and [other similar areas], voting isn't as [impactful] as other city centres where it's a closer race."
Feelings of inadequacy or being ill-prepared also held back some participants from voting. These participants said they lacked the knowledge about political parties and platforms to make an informed decision. A desire to get such information in a more accessible and digestible way was often brought up during the discussions, and a few indicated a sense that candidates had not tried to reach out to them. Among young voters who are also students, voting while living away from home was commonly seen to be confusing or difficult. Those in this situation were often uncertain about their eligibility to vote where they go to school and how or where to vote.
"I just feel like I should follow what's happening more in politics so I can voice my opinion better. I don't know much about politics so I don't know who I would support, but I feel like I want to get into it, to voice [my opinion]."
"I would go and vote if I was in the area [where I grew up]. But if I'm in Saskatoon attending school, I probably wouldn't waste the half hour to figure [the voting process] out."
"For me it was just too much of a hassle actually as a student. I was registered to vote in Scarborough, but I go to Brock University, which is in Niagara Falls in Saint Catherine's. Figuring [the voting process] out was just too much of a hassle. I was also preparing for mid-terms at the same time. I honestly just forgot about [voting]. I felt like it was too much work to do."
"I was moving around a lot growing up. [When] I finally had a stable place to live and registered on the voting list, I still couldn't vote because I didn't have access to the list. I was required to provide a proof of address, which I didn't have."