Young Londoners are getting ready to vote, but say candidates need to meet them online

Kendra Seguin · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 25, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

As the national predetermination run begins, immoderate young Londoners said they are gearing up to ballot for a person who volition code their worries astir their economic futures. 

But first, voters said, the enactment leaders request to scope young voters successful a mode that speaks to them best: online. 

"A batch of younger radical astir apt presume the elections are for older radical due to the fact that they cognize astir politics, but if [candidates] conscionable america connected TikTok, it's similar it's for america too," said 18-year-old Karli Squires, a first-time voter. 

CBC News spoke to students astatine London's Fanshawe College who said they get their predetermination quality from societal media platforms similar TikTok, X and Instagram, earlier aboriginal fact-checking the accusation connected Google, quality websites oregon with a parent. 

"A batch of america are ever connected [social media] and I consciousness similar it would travel up connected our feed, truthful we'd privation to ticker it due to the fact that it's close there," said 18-year-old Madie Jackson, who plans to ballot for the archetypal time. 

The prospective voters agreed they privation to perceive much astir parties' platforms by phone, implicit email oregon done societal media content, but haven't seen overmuch yet. 

Young voters person historically deed the polls astatine a little complaint than older Canadians, according to information from Statistics Canada. 

In the 2021 national election, turnout for voters aged 18 to 24 was 66 per cent, while turnout for radical aged 25 to 34 was 71 per cent.

"You triumph voters by designing policies and images that entreaty to them, but you besides request to pass with voters," said Sam Routley, a governmental subject PhD campaigner astatine Western University. "The existent situation successful authorities nowadays is getting done each the noise."

This year's national predetermination could perchance spot a displacement successful young elector turnout if the parties instrumentality their messages to societal media, helium said. 

Routley pointed to the 2015 national election, wherever the Liberals utilized societal media to link with prospective voters. Then, 67 per cent of radical aged 18 to 24 deed the polls that year, a important leap from the 55 per cent who voted successful the predetermination before. 

He said the Conservatives' existent usage of societal media to convey their level could person a akin effect successful this election.

"There's a precise beardown aptitude for societal media and the avenues which young radical are much engaged with politics," helium said, adding that the Conservatives' content goes beyond societal media trends. "They're saying thing that conveys existent argumentation solutions and has a grasp of the issues that young radical are preoccupied with." 

Cost of living, Canadian individuality cardinal predetermination issues

Many of the soon-to-be assemblage graduates told CBC News cardinal predetermination issues among their peers see lodging affordability and the accrued outgo of living.

"The system is unspeakable close now, and affording to unrecorded is truthful horrible," said Squires, saying she would similar to spot much affordable lodging and market costs discussed successful the election. "Especially for assemblage students close now, it's ace costly surviving successful the city. It's hard."

Some young radical said they don't expect to ain a location successful the future. 

"The terms of lodging is truthful extreme, to the constituent wherever I consciousness similar erstwhile I postgraduate assemblage and spell to university, I inactive won't beryllium capable to spend my ain spot by myself," said Jackson. "I'll person to unrecorded with my parents until I'm 30 due to the fact that everything's conscionable truthful expensive."

With U.S. president Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats, questions astir Canadian individuality are besides apical of caput for young voters. 

"If you looked astatine it a fewer months ago, it seemed similar we were connected our mode toward an predetermination that was going to beryllium defined by outgo of surviving issues the past 2 elections … but arsenic we've seen, the Trump tariff happening has changed priorities," Routley said. 

That's the lawsuit for Jonathan Borquez, 30, who plans to ballot successful the upcoming election.

"I privation a governmental enactment that is consenting to really face [Trump] successful a mode that's really meaningful," helium said. "A governmental enactment that doesn't bash that, doesn't person my vote."

Education, immigration, intelligence wellness support, societal justness and clime alteration are among different issues young voters mentioned to CBC News. 

Borquez said helium worries topics similar clime alteration volition beryllium forgotten successful the predetermination owed to conversations astir economical issues and planetary policies. 

"I consciousness similar a batch of governmental parties are going to forgo [climate change] conscionable to appease a wider scope of voters, but it is an contented we request to confront," helium said. "While we person made moves against it, it's ever been enactment aside, particularly erstwhile it comes to economical oregon governmental stress."