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Do it.

Whether you’re majoring in political science or claim politics isn’t your “thing”, I hope all of you will make your voice heard at the polls on Monday.  Stats show us that the youth vote has been in decline.  While the City of Toronto doesn’t track the age of voters, researchers with Apathy is Boring, Université de Montréal and the University of Toronto noted that in the 2010 municipal election, the polls in the Ryerson and U of T student-heavy area of Ward 27 counted a much lower voter turnout than the average for the entire ward — 21 per cent lower. Let’s change that!

If you haven’t already taken part in advance polls, you can vote Monday, October 27th from 10AM-8PM. To find out where to go, visit City of Toronto’s My Vote to find your polling station.  If you’re not on the voter’s list you’ll need to bring one piece of identification showing your name and qualifying (Toronto) address. All other details can be found here on the City of Toronto’s website.

This Toronto Star Article makes a great point.  Don’t vote just for the sake of voting.  Make an informed choice. If you’re still not sure which candidates will best represent your interests, there are a lot of online resources to help you make an informed decision. Check out GenerationVote.ca which highlights municipal issues that are most relevant for students like public transit, housing, and city services.

For mayoral candidate info, check out NOW Magazine’s mayoral election scorecard to see the main platform points by each front-running mayoral candidate stacked up against each other.

Another great resource is the Position Primer which helps you learn which council candidates could best represent your interests on Toronto Council by giving you a side-by-side comparison of candidates’ views on issues that matter.

Still need some motivation to get out and vote? Have a look at this invitation to millennials (that’s you!) to vote by Morgan Baskin, a Mayoral Candidate who is only 19 years old!  If she can RUN for mayor, the least you can do is show up and VOTE for your next mayor and city councillor.

Finally, keep up on election activity on twitter with #uoftvotes

See you at the polls!