2019 Federal Election: VOTE! Because Your Vote Matters
The 2019 Canadian Election is taking place on October 21st. It is going to be a very important day…mark it on your calendars right now!
For the first time, more millennials are eligible to vote in Canada than baby boomers. This means YOUR vote can have a huge impact! It is extremely easy to get into the mindset that: “My vote is just one vote. It makes no difference. So, I’m just not going to vote!” BUT this mentality is completely wrong. Imagine you thought this, but so did your friend, and so did your friend’s friend and so on. Before you know it, now we’ve got a large chunk of millennials not voting in an election where they are a significant voting group. And why does this matter you ask? Well, if we don’t exercise our right to vote we are surrendering ourselves to the choices made by voters who did go out and vote. If you don’t vote, don’t bother complaining when the results are announced. You lost your right to complain the very second you decided not to vote. We are blessed to be living in a democratic country where we have this right to choose our leader. So please exercise it. As citizens, voting is not the most we can do, but it surely is the least we can do for our country.
Another commonly heard excuse is: “I don’t know anything about politics, so I wouldn’t even know whom to vote for, so I might as well not vote.” BUT listen, the internet is your BEST FRIEND here. Search up the political parties and research their platforms. Don’t solely listen to biased media and biased opinions of other people you talk to. Make an informed decision on your own. Of course, it is good to hear diverse perspectives on political issues to know where people stand and have healthy debates. But our concern is for you to not get swayed by misinformation. This is why doing your research is crucial. Your vote can help determine what policies are rolled out in the next four years.
Here are two of the MANY sources you can visit to expand your political knowledge. These sites sum up some of the key points about each party’s platform regarding important issues.
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/federal/2019/party-platforms/
Next, let’s talk about HOW this voting process works:
To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years of age on election day and prove your identity and address. It’s okay if you are unable to vote on October 21st itself. There will also be advance polling days on October 11, October 12, October 13 and October 14. Check out this link from Elections Canada on other ways to vote as well:
https://www.elections.ca/content2.aspxsection=vote&document=index&lang=e
With so many days available and different options on how you can vote, you really have no excuse.
You must also be registered to vote. You can make the voting process simpler for yourself by registering online before October 15th, 6:00 p.m. However, you can also register in person at your assigned polling station when you go to vote on advance polling days or election day. Speaking of assigned polling stations, use this link to find out where your assigned polling station is:
https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx
We hope this encourages you to vote. If you would like more in-depth information on the election from The Insider, be sure to let us know!
Final thoughts: Don’t be lazy. It’s NOT cool to not vote. Your vote is YOUR voice, so please make it heard on October 21st.
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”
– John F. Kennedy
By: Sanpreet Dhillon