Design of a Youth Electoral Audit

The voter turnout of Canadian youth ages 18 to 34 is estimated to be 20% lower than those born between 1945 and 1959. Young adults were more than twice as likely to cast a ballot during the first election in which they were eligible in the 1960s when compared with 2004. Low youth voter turnout is concerning because electoral participation is an indicator of the legitimacy and health of democratic systems. Further, voting and abstention behaviours are habit forming, which means citizens who begin adulthood as non-voters are likely to stay that way. While a number of best and promising practices to improve youth voter turnout have been identified, no central means for evaluating the implementation of these practices in Canadian municipal government elections currently exists. This thesis describes the design process for the Youth Electoral Audit, an audit methodology intended to fill this gap. Apathy is Boring (AiB), a Canadian non-governmental organization, conducted a pilot Youth Electoral Audit during the 2013 municipal election in Grande Prairie, Alberta. The Youth Electoral Audit was found to be a practical methodology for evaluating Canadian municipal election practices and facilitating concrete recommendations for improving youth electoral participation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Environmental Design (MEDes)

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Environmental Design

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Ing, Jasmine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Keough, Noel

• Design and Decorative Arts
• Canadian Studies
• Public Administration

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25590

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/1495