Engaging young electors has been a cross-party issue for several elections, and yet many post-secondary students who are living away from their home ridings still struggle to access voting. 

The 2015 election introduced the Vote on Campus program which allowed post-secondary students to cast their vote for their home riding using a special ballot. The program was successful—2015 saw the highest voter turnout for those aged 18-24 and 25-34 since Elections Canada began collecting this data in 2004 (57.1 per cent and 57.4 per cent, respectively). According to Elections Canada, voters cast over 110,000 ballots on campuses across the country in the 2019 election.

Unfortunately, Elections Canada did not offer this program during the 2021 election, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the short timeline of the snap election. Student advocates raised concerns that this would create barriers for young electors. They were right—the loss of this option corresponded with lower turnout, at 46.7 per cent for those aged 18-24, and 52.8 per cent for 25-34.

Following the election, non-voters in these age groups cited being too busy as the biggest reason why they had not cast a ballot. Having polls on campus certainly makes it easier to vote for students who are busy balancing their school and life responsibilities.Those aged 18-24 also cited being out of town more than any other age group, perhaps indicating that they did not know how to vote while away at school.

Thankfully, Elections Canada has brought back Vote on Campus for the current election, but with a critical caveat. These polling stations are only open from 12:00 pm on Sunday, April 13 until 9:00 pm on Wednesday, April 16, meaning they will close 11 days before election day—before the leaders’ debates have even taken place.

The federal parties have also, so far, failed to release clearly articulated platforms during this election campaign—making it difficult for voters to make an informed decision on how to cast their ballots. 

The Canadian Federation of Students is calling for free and accessible education, affordable and sustainable living, international student rights, funding for Indigenous and Francophone education, and just foreign policy regarding Palestine. These are topics that have been largely absent from campaigns thus far. Students want to know how the candidates will address the overwhelming burden of tuition, now that the cost has reached as high as $10,000 in some provinces. Which party will support student loan forgiveness? At this point, it appears that none will.

Many voters may be waiting for the debates, where the leaders will, hopefully, provide clear and direct answers about their platforms. By making it difficult for students living away from home to vote after the debates, Elections Canada denies them the opportunity to fully engage in the democratic process.

Although voting on campus is likely more convenient for post-secondary students living away from home, there are other options to vote after April 16. Students living away from home—as well as anyone else—can also vote at any Elections Canada office until 6:00 pm on April 22.

It is important to note that although young voter turnout improved with the Vote on Campus program, the numbers were still below the national average for all ages, at 66.1 per cent in 2015 and 67 per cent in 2019. One third of young people who did not vote in the 2021 election said it was because they are not interested in politics.

Beyond this election, we need to do more to engage young people in the issues that impact them the most. The federal government should be helping with core funding for non-governmental organizations like the CFS that advocate with youth and students. They should also give these groups the opportunity to provide meaningful input into policy decisions on issues like student loans and international student rights. We need to shift the focus from blaming young individuals for their lack of engagement to asking ourselves how we can change the system to better support them.