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These “electoral process-related” reasons include being unable to prove one’s identity or address, or not being on the voters’ list. Not coincidentally, the 2014 Fair Elections Act tightened the requirements for proving one’s identity and address. This change disproportionately affected young Canadians, who move often for work and school.

It affected me. The act made it more difficult for me to prove my address, as I had recently moved when the election was held in October. I didn’t have identification with my new address. The Statistics Canada numbers show I was not alone.

Despite the challenges, I did manage to register and vote, because I know voting is important. But I also know voting is not the only measure of civic engagement.

Last year, Samara Canada found that across 18 forms of civic participation, young Canadians’ participation rate was 11-per-cent higher than that of older Canadians. As two examples, Canadians aged 18 to 29 were much more likely than older Canadians to organize a public event about politics or sign a petition. Twenty-two per cent of young Canadians had donated money to a candidate or party – exactly the same percentage as Canadians aged 56 and older.

Organizing a public event about politics is no small feat and shows high engagement with our political system. It was gratifying to see that recognized by Samara, a non-partisan charity working to improve Canadian politics.

The Samara report demonstrates what I see with my siblings. I am 27 years old, and was the only millennial in my family to vote in the 2015 election. Neither my 25-year-old brother nor my 22-year-old brother voted.