Can social media engage apathetic young voters in Ontario's elections?

Can social media engage apathetic young voters in Ontario's elections?

Young people share what it will take for them to vote in Ontario's municipal election

Is TikTok or Instagram the solution to voter apathy among young people? As Ontario holds municipal elections this month, some young candidates and first-time voters say social media is playing an increasing role in engaging attention in the ballot.

"Social media and social media discourse makes up a lot of how like young people consume like politics or media or like how they form their opinions," said Florence Yan, a student at the University of Waterloo.

According to Elections Canada, voter turnout has been the lowest for those between the ages of 18 to 24 in every election since 2004. In each case, the turnout has increased with age, peaking for those aged 65 to 74, and then dropping again for those over 75.

Neel Laroiya, a University of Waterloo student, says both door-to-door campaigning and social media are effective ways to reach younger voters.

"We get most of our news from like Instagram and like social media," he said, adding that time is a big factor for him.

"I'm in engineering. There's only so much time in a day that you have. It's really hard to find the time to actually go and look at the news."

Some municipal candidates in Guelph use TikTok to reach young voters

For Sebastian Wang, 18, this is the first election he can vote in. He's hoping to make it count.

"I definitely want to learn more about it because now that I have like a vote, I want to use that vote. I want to use the power I have to make a change," said Wang.

'Engage with people in a modern way'

Ibraheem Kappaya is an economics and financial management student at Wilfrid Laurier University. The 19-year-old is also currently running for Kitchener city council in Ward 4.

He's using social media to connect with as many people as he can.

"The majority of people, old and young, are on TikTok. They're on Instagram, they're on Facebook. So that's how you need to reach people. Running a campaign is about engaging with as many people as you can," Kappaya said.

Kappaya has been using humour to connect with voters his age on social media. He's also recorded videos in different languages like Urdu, Arabic and Spanish to reach different communities.

"A lot of young people, they enjoy comedy and they can resonate with that ... We have to engage with people in a modern way," he said, adding that his second-most viewed reel is in Arabic.

"So many Arab voters didn't even know that there's a municipal election going on ... that's why social media is also important, not just for young people, but just for bringing information to people who aren't fluent in municipal bureaucracy. And we need to engage with all sorts of voters."

Ibraheem Kappaya, 19, is hoping to reach voters his age through social media. Posting reels in Arabic, Spanish and Urdu has also helped him successfully connect with other harder-to-reach communities in Waterloo region. (Aastha Shetty/CBC)

Michael Agueci, 23, is a Ward 5 municipal candidate in Guelph. His TikToks, which often include humour, have thousands of likes and views.

He likened his online activity to "getting my sign in front of" voters, adding that he believes people will vote for him because they saw him on social media.

"I want people to do research, look at my policies ... but these local races, because there are no political parties, really are on name recognition."

Jordan Bauman is a University of Waterloo student and an organizer with Waterloo Forum, a group that has hosted several candidate debates at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.

"Students are more unaware of this election compared to other elections," he said, explaining why his group wants to inform more students leading up to election day.

Bauman says students are particularly interested in affordable housing and property taxes.

"University students are a really large part of the electorate here [in Waterloo region] which is why I think they are important ... We shape the future."

Hosting debates on campus is an important way to engage students, he said.

"It's something we've been doing for over a year at the Waterloo Forum. We think it's important that when you go to university, you're not just taking classes, but you're challenging your world views and you're hearing new ideas."

Campaigning on social media can work well in combination with door knocking, according to Lydia Miljan, a political science professor and department head at the University of Windsor.

"You have to be engaged. You have to be in people's faces. You have to sort of become part of the algorithm, which is a really tough challenge for people to engage with," she said.

"But it's not a one-time thing. It's repeated connections."

Getting young voters to care can be more challenging during the municipal election, she said.

"Municipal government tends to deal with plumbing issues ... which tends not to be the most attractive for a younger person to be engaged in," she said.

"There's a lot for voters to deal with and young people especially tend to shut that out, [attracting] even a handful of new voters that are younger ... would be a success."

Anne Wilson is a psychology professor from Wilfrid Laurier University. She says recent surveys from her lab suggest that many young adults get most of their news from social media.

Using TikTok and Instagrams "seems like a reasonable" strategy for attracting younger voters, she said.

"Of course, using these platforms isn't enough on its own; political candidates that can appear relatable to younger voters and address their concerns may benefit from these platforms while other candidates may fall flat."

Aastha Shetty is a journalist with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. She has lived, worked and told stories in Waterloo region and surrounding areas since 2018. She has covered a variety of topics including housing and affordability, consumer rights and social injustice. She also has experience as a court reporter and as a multimedia producer. Get in touch: aastha.shetty@cbc.ca or 226 338 7845.