Young people can make a difference by voting

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2023 (746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This upcoming week is a huge one for Manitoba — it’s our provincial election. On Oct. 3, registered voters will be able to go and cast their vote to elect the Premier of Manitoba and, consequently, the political party that leads this province. Each party running hopes to fill the 57 seats available in the government with their MLAs — in order to win a majority, 29 seats must be filled.

The Progressive Conservative party, led by Heather Stefanson, hopes to win a third mandate to continue their time in office. The PC government has been in power since 2016, when Brian Pallister won over NDP leader Greg Selinger. This ended the NDP government’s 17 years in office, and the PC government has yet to be defeated as of 2023. Despite this continued run, the PC government has changed leaders since the last election in 2019 — Brian Pallister resigned in 2021, ushering in Heather Stefanson, who made history as the first female premier of Manitoba. The PCs hope to maintain or increase their 35 seats in government.

The NDP, the official opposition of Manitoba, hopes to usher in a new era of a Manitoban NDP government, headed by Wab Kinew. Kinew has been the leader of the NDP since 2017, also making history as the first First Nations leader of a major provincial party. The NDP currently has 18 seats.

The other political party hoping to put a dent into the others’ votes is the Liberal Party. They currently hold three seats and are led by Dougald Lamont, who has been the leader since 2017. As time quickly approaches the day of the election, all three parties are gearing up to try to win over the majority of Manitoba voters.

One of the most substantial parts of this election, though, is that it marks one of the first elections that the new generation can vote in. Many gen-Zers are now reaching the age where they can, or are soon going to be able to, vote. They may have been ineligible during the 2019 election, or had indifference to Manitoban politics at the time. The young members of the new generation have grown up in the years of COVID and intense political turbulence, and the importance of participating in voting has become increasingly clear for many. Kelsey Gloor, a Grade 12 student at École Secondaire Neelin High School, agrees: “I, and many others in Brandon, are lucky enough to be able to vote. Each … vote counts, and I don’t plan on wasting my ballot.”

Interestingly enough, a poll by Probe Research found that 53 per cent of voters under 35 — which is the age range considered to be young voters — would vote for NDP, whereas older voters were equally split between both NDP and PC — a perfectly equal 41 per cent for both. Although it may not seem like it to many young people, every vote can count. If young voters can show up to the polls like their older counterparts, it can make a large difference in the results. The best way to facilitate change is to be there to help it happen. Gloor echoes this statement: “Without young voters, there will be no way for there to be significant change … It will stay the same. If we want for there to be more attention to issues such as climate change, rights of students within schools, and other policies, there needs to be young voices in the crowd pushing for it.” The young people who choose to vote now will one day be in the positions of the older voters, who have spent years making change within our communities. Starting now to facilitate change is essential.

Jayson Badcock, another Grade 12 student at École secondaire Neelin High School, echoes this statement when discussing the impact on Manitoba youth. “The most important thing for young people when voting is to listen to the policies and topics parties bring to the table… Knowing what the parties you vote for stand for is essential.” The promises of each party can be found on various websites, and they typically follow the same pattern of issues: the economy, health care, crime, cost of living, education, housing, and more. These promises can help align voters to find what they think are the most impactful issues. Issues that politicians bring up or vow to help will one day affect voters in different aspects — entering a housing market that is intensely difficult to access is simply not in the cards for many young people who struggle with the high cost of living. Or, students who may feel like their right to read books that are considered controversial and right to express themselves in school may feel targeted by policies of parties who have a different vision in mind. Members of the new generation are the ones beginning their adulthood in such a turbulent landscape, and that same generation will have to one day deal with the decisions made by older voters and older politicians.

Resources are key, and any information about voting, registering to vote, locations, times, and more can be found on the Elections Manitoba website. Advance voting has already begun, on Sept. 23, and continues until Sept. 30. The next voting period after that will be election day on Oct. 3.

Although a provincial election may feel very overwhelming and scary for many young voters, it’s important for the new generation to remember that it is in their hands now to make the decisions that will lead us into a more peaceful, sustainable era.

Gloor believes in this as well, stating, “Humans have had a large impact on our Earth. Everyone is affected by our changing earth … my hope is for stronger policies to lead us to more sustainable practices.” Hopefully, this election will show a turnaround for low young voter turnout and increase the number of students and youth taking part in our elections.

The more young people participate, the more radical change can occur, and the more we will be able to move forward as an accepting society. No matter your beliefs, every individual deserves to feel like their voices are being heard, and that the people representing you in government care for what you want to say.

» Shayla Ramsden is a Grade 12 student at École secondaire Neelin High School