Want better voting turnout? Teach History

The key to sparking greater voting participation is not Internet gimmicks and more federal programs. Greater self-reliance and better school curricula are the answer.

Even though we appear to be headed for a surge in voting participation in this federal election, results since the 1960s show steady decline in voter turnout. While 75 percent of registered voters voted in the 1984 election, only 61 percent in did 2000, and 58.8 percent did in October 2008 –an all-time low.

A further breakdown shows things to be worse among the young. For voters aged 18-24 the participation estimate is about one third. The numbers are more alarming in some parts of the country, and there is genuine worry that less than a third of folks will vote one generation from now.

To combat the decline, Canada has spent tens of millions in the last two decades funding programs designed to reinvigorate voting, “raise awareness,” register the homeless, excite the young and so forth.

Curiously, participation rates have ke…