LAST summer, the civic elections were the last thing on Ryen MacKaay's mind.
The 19-year-old West Vancouver resident, in his second year at Capilano University, admits he was like many of his peers: He didn't know much about the candidates, the issues or the process.
Today, not only is he certain he will cast a ballot Nov. 19, but he has already participated in an all-candidates debate panel made up entirely of Capilano University students, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce at the Kay Meek Centre Oct. 13.
"I've talked to my friends, and they have no idea what's going on with this municipal election in West Vancouver, but it's quite important. It affects our lives, and you don't really think about it much," he said.
MacKaay's transformation began with information, he said; he became more interested the more he researched his questions for the debate.
But the question of how to bring about a similar turnaround in the legions of young residents who aren't tuning in still perplexes both municipalities and candidates alike.
The proportion of youth voters who show up to the polls isn't known - the age of voters is collected in provincial and federal elections, but not municipally - but many commentators believe it is predictably low.
In 2008, just 16.7 per cent of all eligible voters in the District of North Vancouver cast a ballot and 17.7 per cent turned out in the City on North Vancouver. In West Vancouver, the figure was about one third.
Tim Schouls, a political science professor at Capilano University who moderated the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce allcandidates debate, said youth face the same barriers everyone else does: a lack of time, information and interest. It's especially hard when juggling classes and work, he said.
As well, municipal politicians tend not to address the concerns of young people as obviously - questions such as education and social issues, said Schouls.
"Zoning bylaws, property tax, availability of parking, aesthetics of building ventures, it's just not terribly appealing to them," he said.
David Clarkson, Capilano Students Union chairman, is trying to fill the gap. The organization has issued a set of questions to candidates aimed at youth issues. He lists affordable housing, libraries, public transit and job creation as some of the most important topics.
"With respect to the North Shore specifically, (vacancy) rates on rental units are some of the lowest we've seen . . . and that's a real issue for students who do need in many cases to rent somewhere to live to attend school," he said.
The municipalities themselves aren't targeting youth specifically, though the City of North Vancouver says it will be watching turnout closely this election. The community's Civic Engagement Task Force made several recommendations to improve turnout it says it has acted on this year. Those include publishing election information in five languages and distributing information by mail to every household.
Also, candidates for council, school board and mayor now have public profiles on the city's website accompanied by a picture. Those link to their websites, as well as to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
"Not many communities do that," said Connie Rabold, communications manager for the city. But there's no youth-specific drive because the budget isn't there, she said.
That's too bad, said MacKaay, because youth need something to draw them into the process and help them get informed.
"Youth aren't going to get involved just out of nowhere. I think these people kind of need to draw them in somehow, and somehow get them excited for elections," he said. "If the issues are relevant to them, they will say, 'yes, this is something I can be interested in.'"
