Well, at least they should be.
Humber Students’ Federation debates ended this week. Voting opens for the executive HSF positions next week from March 14 to 18.
Statistics Canada has reported, “all age groups were less likely to vote in local than in federal and provincial elections.” But students can change this trend.  If you don’t participate in the political process, you forfeit your right to complain about how the HSF budget is spent.
Some students are here for classes and studies, not for the extracurricular activities. But for students who ARE interested in extracurriculars or plan to become involved in the future, this is the time to make your voice heard. By voting for the executive representatives, you help support the events and programs that you think are important.
When we are witnessing huge uprisings in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya where people are demanding, and willing to die for, their right to vote it is outrageous to think that our highest student voter turnout on campus is a mere 21.34 per cent. Even more discouraging is that number is actually larger than in recent years, yet is still tiny.
When the HSF is boasting about a voter turnout of only one-in-five it actually underlines the many students not represented at the ballot boxes.
StatsCan reports that 55.9% of Canadians aged 18 to 24 voted in the last federal election. So what is it that prevents students within that same age bracket from voting in student government elections?
“Youth account for a declining share of the voting-age population, a situation that limits their political clout. At the same time, [the] government has reduced or limited its support for issues that interest young adults, such as postsecondary education, equality and human rights,” reported a study conducted by Anne Milan, an analyst with Canadian Social Trends, called “Willing to participate: Political engagement of young adults”.
While this may be true of the federal government, it certainly can’t be true of the HSF government. The HSF prides itself on supporting issues that are relevant to Humber students.
In a small community election like the upcoming HSF vote, you don’t see landslides or big discrepancies, and if students care at all about their HSF representative then their choice will matter. In a small election, voters can see their ballots really do make a difference.
Meanwhile, much can be said about the candidates, and the fact that their platforms are so similar and that their messages aren’t inspiring students to flock to the ballot box.
But that’s another issue altogether.