For the first time, all Canadian millennials, generally defined as those born between 1980 and 2000, will be eligible to vote in the federal election.

They will make up as much as 37 per cent of the electorate, according to Abacus Data. That means the outcome could be decided by millennials if they collectively put their support behind a particular political party.

Before they cast their ballots, CBC Ottawa Communications visited the Carleton University campus to engage young voters in conversation.

We spoke with dozens of young voters at Carleton University about what voting means to them. Many of them will be going to the polls for the first time on October 21. (Olivier Plante/CBC)

Students shared questions for the party leaders and many voiced concerns about how the results of the election will play a role in their lives beyond university.

"I'm just 22 years old, I have a long time to live," says international affairs student Sarah Beach-Vaive, "and I want us to move forward and not backwards. What are they going to do for the youth and to ensure that we have a future?"

We heard about a wide variety of issues — climate change, gun control, the economy, representation — from a generation eager to finally express their point of view at the polls.

My Vote. Our Future. is the result. It's a special digital series featuring the voices of dozens of millennial voters as they explain why voting matters to them.

My Vote. Our Future.

Click through the slideshow below to meet the students featured in My Vote. Our Future.

Follow @CBCOttawa on Instagram and visit our IGTV channel to watch the series and hear more from these young voters.