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Young non-voters, those under 25, were the most likely to say they weren’t interested in voting, while those in their prime working and child-rearing years were evenly split between being disinterested and too busy. Older non-voters, those 65 and older, were the most likely to say that an illness or disability had prevented them from casting a ballot.

Across the country, non-voters in different provinces had their own reasons for tuning out this federal election.

Quebec non-voters were most likely to say they their vote wouldn’t make a difference, with nearly 35% of those polled giving that reason compared to 22.8% of non-voters in B.C.

Albertans were most likely to say they were too busy to vote – 27.5% said they had other work and family obligations that trumped the ballot box, compared to 19.3% of voters in both Quebec and Newfoundland.

Prince Edward Island non-voters most likely to say they couldn’t vote because of illness or disability – 12.7% compared to 4.7% in Alberta – while Nova Scotians were most likely to say they were turned off by the candidates and party platforms.

The reasons for not voting differed between recent immigrants, more established immigrants and Canadian-born electors, the survey found. Immigrants who had been in Canada for ten years or less were most likely to say they were too busy to vote, while those who had been in the country longer than a decade were more evenly split between being too busy and being disengaged.

Canadian-born non-voters were much more likely to say they weren’t interested in voting than to say they were too busy. More established immigrants were also more likely to say they didn’t like any of the candidates than either recent immigrants or Canadian-born electors.

National Post

tmcmahon@nationalpost.com