Are voters more apathetic than before?

Political science professor breaks down why people may not be interested in casting their ballots

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — With the 2019 federal election fast approaching, candidates and pundits are gearing up for the big day. But is constant news coverage, multiple elections in a short time, or other factors making the public apathetic?

"Here on P.E.I., voter fatigue is a factor. Having a federal election after provincial and municipal elections within the year, not to mention the addition of a referendum, it can impact on voter turnout," said Don Desserud, a professor of political science at the University of P.E.I.

Cody McEachern, 27, is an Island native who now lives in Nova Scotia. He said this election reminds him of the 2016 United States presidential election.

"This election is giving me a lot of the same vibes. By that, I mean it seems like it is being over-sensationalized by both the media and the campaigners. It seems every week, the opposing parties are either just bashing each other, or they are telling everyone what they think we want to hear. I understand that's politics in general, but it seems more so this election than any other."

PEOPLE ARE PROTESTING, THEY'RE JUST NOT CONNECTING

In a bigger context, Desserud said, people aren't apathetic per se, but they're not finding a party they connect with enough for them to get out and support.

"Think of all the protest marches that happened a couple of weeks ago. That shows people aren't apathetic, at least about [climate change] that issue."

OK, why isn't that translating to this campaign?

Desserud said while the Green party and others are talking about the issue, voters aren't seeing the alternative parties (those other than Liberal and Conservative) as ones that can fix this problem.

"It's less about interest and more cynicism about the leaders' abilities to make this better."

McEachern agreed.

"I feel like we are kind of stuck with who we have. To me, none of them seem like a great choice, both federally or provincially, so it feels like I'm voting for who I can tolerate more than who I feel should run my province or country."

Desserud noted the party leaders all suffer from being compared to predecessors.

"No one is really getting the respect they need to get people engaged.

"People think of Harper differently than they think of Scheer. Trudeau is usually compared to his father, but in this case, people are seeing that the Justin Trudeau of 2015 isn't the Justin of 2019. They're looking at what they saw and what they see now. Singh, he's intelligent, well-spoken... but he's not Jack Layton, who's a unique figure in our history."

To McEachern's point, Desserud said not to "underestimate the soul-destroying narrative of the United States and Great Britain's politics."

"It seems childish, sordid, ridiculous, clownish and without integrity," Desserud sad.

"If a person is saturated with Donald Trump and Boris Johnson and then looks at our candidates and think, 'There's not much there,' that itself can be discouraging."

THE PARADOX OF CANADA'S VOTING SYSTEM

Desserud said it's not that the young voter population is disinterested, it's that they are engaging in different ways than heading to the polls Oct. 21.

"They've lost faith in the institutional way of dealing with things. It's the same old, same old, same old. This is the great paradox of the (first past the post) electoral system. The fear of a wasted vote by voting for an alternative party. But if they voted Green or NDP by the masses, then it would make a difference. It's the problem third parties have had for years."

He said first past the post is “brutal” at heeling third parties down and building support for traditional parties.

"Because of this, we have a winner take all scenario. ‘Ok, I want to vote NDP, but I don't want to see this person get in,’ someone will say to themselves, ‘so I'll vote this way, to give this person more support to this party,’ ” Desserud explained.

This is where the fear of the boogeyman causes strategic voting, he said.

"There are people who are going to vote Liberal because they don't know what to expect with Scheer. The Liberals have been using Harper as the boogeyman to scare voters off the Conservatives. Then there's the fear that if your get Scheer, you could get another Doug Ford."

WORD ON CAMPUS

Desserud said, like himself, his political science students are entrenched in the election.

“But they're frustrated too. They like the Green Party and the NDP.”

But they're frustrated by the lack of attention paid to issues that impact them directly, he added.

“They worry about the environment, student loans, debt repayment, employment ... it's not unusual.”

Desserud said they have a cynicism about the system and don't see the politicians having the will to solve the issues.

“So they're doing other things are civically engaging to be heard.”

Desserud predicts the election will end in a minority government. And if it swings Liberal, it's likely the support of the NDP and the Greens will be needed to pull it off or government will fall.

But if voters, young and old, don't make it to the polls, could it mean catastrophe for democracy in Canada?

"Our numbers are still pretty good. But if they don't vote, the parties in power stop worrying if they're going to be defeated because they think the public doesn't care."

As for voting, McEachern admits he doesn't know if he's going to cast a ballot.

"Part of me says I need to, but the other part of me says I'm not going to, simply because I don't feel like any of them will make a difference."