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

As the federal election campaign begins, some young Londoners said they are gearing up to vote for a leader who will address their worries about their economic futures. 

But first, voters said, the party leaders need to reach young voters in a way that speaks to them best: online. 

"A lot of younger people probably assume the elections are for older people because they know about politics, but if [candidates] meet us on TikTok, it's like it's for us too," said 18-year-old Karli Squires, a first-time voter. 

CBC News spoke to students at London's Fanshawe College who said they get their election news from social media platforms like TikTok, X and Instagram, before later fact checking the information on Google, news websites or with a parent. 

"A lot of us are always on [social media] and I feel like it would come up on our feed, so we'd want to watch it because it's right there," said 18-year-old Madie Jackson, who plans to vote for the first time. 

The prospective voters agreed they want to hear more about parties' platforms by phone, over email or through social media content, but haven't seen much yet. 

Young voters have historically hit the polls at a lower rate than older Canadians, according to data from Statistics Canada. 

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

"You win voters by designing policies and images that appeal to them, but you also need to communicate with voters," said Sam Routley, a political science PhD candidate at Western University. "The real challenge in politics nowadays is getting through all the noise."

This year's federal election could potentially see a shift in young voter turnout if the parties take their messages to social media, he said. 

Routley pointed to the 2015 federal election, during which the Liberals used social media to connect with prospective voters. Then, 67 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 hit the polls that year, a significant jump from the 55 per cent who voted in the election before. 

He said the Conservatives' current use of social media to convey their platform could have a similar effect in this election.

"There's a very strong aptitude for social media and the avenues which young people are more engaged with politics," he said, adding that the Conservatives' content goes beyond social media trends. "They're saying something that conveys real policy solutions and has a grasp of the issues that young people are preoccupied with." 

Cost of living, Canadian identity key election issues

Many of the soon-to-be college graduates told CBC News that key election issues among their peers include housing affordability and the increased cost of living.

"The economy is terrible right now and affording to live is so horrible," said Squires, saying she would like to see more affordable housing and grocery costs discussed in the election. "Especially for college students right now, it's super expensive living in the city. It's hard."

Some young people said they don't expect to own a home in the future. 

"The price of housing is so extreme, to the point where I feel like when I graduate college and go to university, I still won't be able to afford my own place by myself," said Jackson. "I'll have to live with my parents until I'm 30 because everything's just so expensive."

With U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats, questions about Canadian identity are also top of mind for young voters. 

"If you looked at it a few months ago, it seemed like we were on our way toward an election that was going to be defined by cost of living issues the past two elections … but as we've seen, the Trump tariff thing has changed priorities," Routley said. 

That's the case for Jonathan Borquez, 30, who plans to vote in the April 28 election.

"I want a political party that is willing to actually confront [Trump] in a way that's actually meaningful.  political party that doesn't do that, doesn't have my vote."

Education, immigration, mental health support, social justice and climate change are among other issues that young voters mentioned to CBC News. 

Borquez said he worries topics like climate change will be forgotten in the election due to conversations about economic issues and international policies. 

"I feel like a lot of political parties are going to forgo [climate change] just to appease a wider range of voters, but it is an issue we need to confront," he said. "While we have made moves against it, it's always been put aside, especially when it comes to economic or political stress."