Think young people aren't engaged in the provincial election? Meet 2 who are
UPEI students Prabhatha Meduri and Noah Mannholland say housing is top of mind for most students
Prince Edward Islanders head to the polls next week and while the province has traditionally seen some of the highest voter turnouts in the country, those under the age of 34 are historically the least likely to cast a ballot.
Noah Mannholland, a member of the UPEI Student Union, told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin that the level of engagement among students very much depends on who you're talking to.
"For the most part, young people tend to trend toward political apathy because they see all these, sort of, older people making decisions and they think, you know, 'That person doesn't represent me. Why would I vote for them or for anybody?'" he said.
UPEI student Prabhatha Meduri isn't eligible to vote in this election, and says she feels forgotten as an international student.
"I saw the debate [Monday] night and I understand housing is important, health care is important, dealing with inflation is important but we are also potential citizens here," she said.
"We are also working here, we are also studying here, and we are going to work here full time in future, right? That's the point … so I was like, why no one has actually dropped the word 'students?'"
Affordable housing tops list of key issues
In the 2021 federal election, P.E.I. had the highest turnout of all the provinces and territories at 72.8 per cent of eligible voters showing up to vote, compared to just 62.2 per cent nationally.
Voter turnout rates generally increase gradually with age — nationally in 2021, 46.7 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 and 52.8 per cent of those aged 25-34 cast a ballot.
On P.E.I., just 46.3 per cent of those between the ages of 18 to 24 voted — putting P.E.I. roughly in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the provinces and territories — while 64.9 per cent of those between 25 and 34 participated — among the highest in the country, second only to Yukon.
Meduri would like to see the provincial party leaders campaigning for office commit to more stability for Island students, pointing to the disruptions last fall following post-tropical storm Fiona and the current strike at the university.
"[I want] consistent education without having to worry about the current crisis," she said. "I would like some consistency and clarity of where my school is going."
And, like most Islanders, she said the cost of living and lack of affordable housing on P.E.I. are top of mind.
"It's an open secret. We all know there is inflation, we all know there is so much struggle happening for that, and housing is such a big issue for students specifically," Meduri said.
"The way the prices have gone up … it's like you work, you go to school, you sleep. And to sleep properly you need housing which is affordable."
Mannholland agreed student housing — or the lack of it — is a major priority.
"Right now we have a bunch of international students who are applying to UPEI and they can't find a place to stay," he said.
"So we have a new residence that's opening that's supposed to have 300 beds but we have a waitlist … over 450 students long for residence as of last year. So we're hoping that we're able to resolve that."
'We are deciding our future'
The way Meduri sees it, eligible voters have to participate if they expect elected officials to work for them.
"We are voting [for] someone because we want them to represent us, we want them to guide us or govern us, basically," she said.
"I think it's very important, especially young people, to engage in this because we are deciding our future for [the] next four years."
Meduri urges young voters to study the issues that matter to them — like housing, for instance — and make sure their voices are heard by casting a ballot.
As for how to get students more engaged in politics, Mannholland said there's no simple fix.
"You can very much lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. So I guess making sure you mention students in your platform is certainly one way to do that, but for the most part if a student doesn't want to vote because they think it's not going to make a difference, they just won't," he said.
"Student issues are Island issues so if there's something affecting Islanders it's probably affecting students as well, and I think vice versa."
P.E.I.'s general voting day is April 3.
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With files from CBC News: Compass