Turnout among youngest voters was below 20 per cent in the last N.S. election

Michael Gorman · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Meredith Kent fits the profile of an engaged voter.

The 25-year-old Halifax resident, who formed her ballot successful past year's provincial election, continues to travel authorities aft studying governmental subject and nationalist argumentation successful university.

"Even if I didn't person that, I conscionable deliberation it's important to person a say," she said successful an interview.

But Kent is successful the number successful her property radical erstwhile it comes to that view.

Elections Nova Scotia released the connection of votes and statistic for the November predetermination this week and information successful the papers shows a continuing diminution successful elector turnout, peculiarly among radical younger than 35.

Overall turnout was 44.9 per cent among registered voters. That was the lowest successful the province's past and the archetypal clip it fell beneath the 50 per cent mark.

Concern for aboriginal elections

In the 18-24 demographic, conscionable 16.6 per cent of radical formed a ballot, while 23.8 per cent of radical ages 25-34 voted. Conversely, 66.6 per cent of radical who are 75 oregon older marked an X — the highest of immoderate demographic, followed by the 65-74 cohort astatine 65.9 per cent.

No different demographic topped 50 per cent.

Lori Turnbull, seat of the nationalist and planetary affairs section successful Dalhousie University's module of management, said the inclination of debased elector turnout among young radical has persisted for the past 20 years.

But Turnbull said the continuation of that inclination risks a spillover effect for aboriginal elections.

"One of the issues is that if you don't ballot successful your archetypal election, you're little apt to ballot successful consequent elections and truthful it's not conscionable a young elector turnout issue," she said.

"It could enactment with america and past we've got a broader turnout contented overall."

At slightest for the astir caller Nova Scotia election, the numbers look to backmost up that concern.

Turnout for the 35-44 demographic was 34.7 per cent and it was 39.5 per cent for the 45-54 property group. Even the 55-64 cohort fell beneath 50 per cent, with 48.1 per cent of that colonisation casting a ballot.

Turnbull said determination tin beryllium a assortment of reasons wherefore radical mightiness not enactment successful an election, including if it seems similar the effect is simply a foregone conclusion. In Nova Scotia's case, the incumbent Progressive Conservatives were good up successful the polls adjacent earlier Premier Tim Houston broke his fixed predetermination day committedness and called the drawback election.

The PCs won a resounding 43 of 55 seats, earning a supermajority successful the Nova Scotia Legislature.

Elections Nova Scotia besides decided not to nonstop retired elector accusation cards for the election, fearing they mightiness not marque it to people's homes earlier a looming postal strike. Candidates and enactment volunteers said during the predetermination that the deficiency of those cards had immoderate radical unsure of erstwhile oregon wherever to ballot oregon adjacent whether an predetermination was happening astatine all.

A role for authorities to play

Turnbull said determination are options that could beryllium explored to get more young radical engaged, including lowering the voting property to 16 and a greater effort connected the portion of governmental parties to link with young people.

The authorities tin besides play a portion successful the effort to boost elector engagement, she said.

"It is wholly the relation of the authorities to put successful the wellness of democracy, including ensuring that radical person that consciousness of civic work astatine a young age, because voting is habit-forming — if you don't bash it erstwhile you're young, you're astir apt not going to prime it up later."

Leah Martin, Nova Scotia's furniture curate liable for youth, said successful an interrogation that "there's a large relation for authorities to play successful encouraging participation."

'They privation to spot that their ballot counts'

Martin said it's important for elected officials to not lone perceive to young people, but past enactment connected what they hear.

"What I've heard is that younker truly privation to assistance signifier and usher the aboriginal and they privation to besides specify what that looks like," she said.

Despite the debased turnout successful the provincial election, Martin said she was heartened by the overmuch higher information successful the caller national election.

Kent said she isn't amazed by the debased elector turnout. She thinks determination needs to beryllium a greater effort to amusement radical a nonstop transportation betwixt their ballot and their lives.

"There has to beryllium immoderate mode wherever radical tin spot that their ballot matters and that their dependable matters," she said.

"I deliberation that's what a batch of young radical who consciousness possibly disenfranchised oregon distrusting, they privation to spot that their ballot counts toward thing and it matters and it tin marque change."