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Back in the 1980s, Spinks noted, politicians might have only thought only about mothers’ votes when they counted children in childcare. Thanks to fathers doing far more caregiving, and grandparents sharing the load, the votes influenced by childcare policies can add up to six or eight.

— Sarah Boesveld National Post

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THE APATHETIC

For campaign strategists, they are the white whales — the 9.4 million people who did not vote in the last federal election. But this time, there will be faint hope in war rooms across this country that they’ll figure out a way to tap into that basin of unused votes, says one campaign veteran.

“Everybody always plays that game,” says Stephen Carter, who worked as a campaign strategist on for Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and former Alberta Premier Alison Redford.

With marijuana decriminalization in play during this campaign, some are expecting a boost in youth turnout, which has hovered around 40 percent since 2004 (the worst of any age group). But others, including former NDP staffer Ian Capstick, argue that the pot question will only motivate pot activists, who are already longtime voters.

“A truly established non-voter is a very difficult beast to motivate,” Capstick, currently managing partner at Media Style.

There are, however, three groups — young people, new Canadians and aboriginal voters — are worth sinking resources into targeting.

Indigenous voters are more susceptible to campaign messaging now, buoyed by progress like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, says Capstick, whose company was involved with the TRC. And new Canadians take “a few elections” to become engaged, he said.

Youth wings of political parties on university and college campuses have historically been tasked with mobilizing young voters, “and let’s face it, for the past 30 years they have not been very good at it,” Capstick said.

“You have to go where they are, and they are not watching television, they are not reading newspaper,” said Carter. “Instagram is wicked for that.”

– Jake Edmiston, National Post