The provincial elections are fast approaching and the Camosun College Student Society is working to organize students leading up to election day.
We officially launched our Rock the Vote BC campaign last week, when we handed to Elections BC about 150 voter registration forms that we had collected from students this fall. We want to send a message toĘpoliticians: youth are going to vote in the next election and ignoring us is a liability.
Youth voter turnout is at historic lows. In the last provincial election there were over 500,000 eligible voters under the age of 34 who didn’t vote. Rock the Vote BC aims at turning this trend around and ensuring that there will be a higher youth-voter turnout in May of 2013.
The student society has set a goal to collect at least 1,000 voter registration forms from students by May. You can help us achieve this goal by registering as a new voter or updating your voter information at the student society offices, or when you see student society representatives around campus and in your classrooms. We will be collecting your forms and handing them in to Elections BC.
It’s all too easy for a government to ignore the needs of groups who don’t vote. We hope that, with a higher youth voter turnout, the next government will be more responsive to youth concerns, such as affordable postsecondary education, well-funded public transit, and a healthy environment.