Federal candidates are missing opportunities to connect with youth
This is the second time I've been able to vote in a federal election. But I don't feel as entitled this time around.
I haven’t seen much election advertising. Just a few posts on social media. I skimmed over them, but nothing really caught my eye. Politics isn’t something my peers and I focus on or discuss in our everyday discussions. Not at this point in our lives, anyway.
I feel the candidates haven’t focused on young people in this province, and that Newfoundland and Labrador is often overlooked during federal elections.
I was surprised by the responses after I asked some peers about the election. Many agree with me. They just don’t seem interested in voting. Some even said they don't know the procedures around casting a ballot. The lack of promotion and engagement has led to this for some in the younger generation.
In my conversations with peers, a few tried to avoid questions about the election, noting not many of the candidates caught their interest. Others didn’t know the names of candidates. This, again, is due to the lack of attention federal politicians pay to the younger generation. The candidates simply aren’t reaching out to our generation as often as they should.
The climate crisis has been a huge topic of conversation over the past few months and seems to be on the minds of voters. Upon doing some research, I found many Canadians feel candidates who aren’t focused on this topic are overlooking important concerns. I’ve witnessed discussions, protests, strikes and more here in my community, but have heard virtually nothing from candidates thus far.
Overall, my peers and I just don’t see a foundation in this year’s election that would result in making a solid effort to vote. Maybe I’m missing something. Maybe the candidates don't engage with the younger generation. With several people telling me they feel this way, I believe that lack of a connection is the culprit, and why youth are disengaged. And that’s a problem because we are the next generation of voters, aren’t we?