so the federal election is in exactly one month’s time. on monday october 21 i’ll be voting & i hope that those of you who read this will join me. i know sometimes it seems like voting doesn’t make a difference, but elections matter. each vote counts towards selecting who will lead your local riding & advocate for equity + equality for our communities. i encourage you to become engaged with politics, pay attention & get informed, & then talk to peeps about it. know who your local candidates are & what the party platforms are. if you haven’t voted before, or even if you have, i’ve provided some links to helpful websites at the bottom of this post to help you on your way.
lately i feel like i’ve been on a ‘what a time to be alive’ tip, in the sense that some of the issues that my people + communities have been resisting & confronting are now coming to the mainstream. to see that millions have been protesting for environmental justice, human rights, equity and equality around the world gives me hope that i haven’t felt in a while. the point is – i feel like we got this. now is the time to get out & vote.
why is it important to vote?
historically, in canada, particular groups of people have been excluded from voting based on their gender or race. this includes women, first nations peoples, & chinese people (stanley, 2016). in fact, chinese people did not have the right to vote until 1947. excluding specific groups of people from voting was productive as it allowed for those in power + the state to maintain control & the status quo. all that to say, voting is a right that others have fought for – let’s go & exercise that right.
did you know?
- according to a study conducted earlier this year, people between age 18 and 38 will make up the biggest group of eligible voters – making up approximately 37% of voters, this means millennials have the power to make their voices heard through the election and disrupt/change the current political landscape if they vote collectively
- in the last election in 2015, turnout among voters aged 18 to 24 was at about 57%, up from just under 39% the previous election in 2011
- however, there is concern that this time around we’re not feeling it & we’re disappointed by our leaders & politicians in general – i mean, how can we when none of them is taking climate change as seriously as they should be, building pipelines instead of protecting land + water? when none of them is doing something meaningful about colonization + the genocide of indigenous peoples? when none of them is doing enough to challenge immense social inequalities, systemic racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia? when they aren’t acting fast enough to eradicate white supremacy + nationalism, and xenophobic narratives against displaced peoples?
- it’s up to us to organize ourselves to show those in power that we matter & create the nation we want to live in ✊🏼
links to voting resources
more info & pledging to vote:
faqs pertaining to voting:
https://www.apathyisboring.com/vote
how to vote via elections canada:
lostinplantopia 