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VICTORIA — Throughout last year’s referendum on electoral reform, there was a common assumption that younger voters would deliver a strong vote in favour of proportional representation.

The opinion polls suggested they were more likely to support change. Traffic on social media reinforced the impression. Pro Rep-favouring politicians treated the notion as a given.

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During the televised leader’s debate, Premier John Horgan deliberately echoed the “Pro Rep is lit” slogan of the “yes” side’s youth campaign.

“Young people like the idea of working together,” he taunted B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson. “If you were woke, you’d know that pro rep is lit.”

But for all the patronizing by Horgan and others, younger British Columbians were neither all that “woke” (politically aware) nor persuaded that Pro Rep was sufficiently “lit” (excellent) to get involved.

Fewer than one-third of those under the age of 34 participated in the ballot-by-mail, according to a post-mortem released by Elections B.C. this week. Overall, more than half of the aging baby boomers took the trouble to send in their ballots.