There are few issues that candidates from all political stripes agree on during the current provincial election campaign, but one they can all rally around is getting more people to vote.
Four years ago just over half of registered voters in both Prince George-area ridings cast a ballot. The numbers locally are consistent with a broader provincial trend which has seen voter turnout fall from 70 per cent of eligible voters in 1983 to slightly over 50 per cent in 2009, according to Elections B.C.
"People die for the right to vote in other countries and I find it unbelievable that in many ways we take it for granted," Prince George-Valemount Liberal MLA Shirley Bond said. "This is not a time to do that."
Over the past three decades, the number of registered voters has skyrocketed from 1.7 million in 1983 to close to 3 million last election - yet the number of ballots cast has barely budged going from 1.3 million to 1.6 million.
Prince George-Mackenzie had 53.7 per cent of its close to 33,000 eligible voters cast a ballot four years ago, while in Prince George-Valemount only 52 per cent of the more than 34,000 people on the rolls marked a 'x.'
Speculation as to the reason why fewer people are engaging in their civic duty varies from negative campaigns causing people to tune out of politics to the belief that all the parties are the same.
Karen McDowell, the Green candidate in Prince George-Mackenzie, places the blame with the current crop of politicians.
"These other politicians have forgotten the fact they are in the public service industry and that this about service and their role is to serve the people," she said. "The people don't feel like they're being served. They're not being served the way that suits their interest."
McDowell said by listening to voters and engaging them on their level, more people will come out on election day. She believes her party's commitment to the environment will encourage groups of voters who have stayed away from the polls in the past to cast a ballot this year.
Prince George-Mackenzie NDP candidate Bobby Deepak has a few theories of his own about why the percentage of voters is dwindling, and like McDowell he said it comes down to politicians keeping their word and building trust.
"People are disenfranchised, they feel like they don't have a say, that it doesn't matter, so you have a very low turnout - 29 per cent municipally and about 50 per cent provincially," Deepak said.
"That's a very low turnout when it comes to elections. People are feeling disenfranchised and I think people want to feel empowered, they want to be part of the major decisions that are made so I think democratic renewal becomes a big issues and I think that's a critical issue."
Among the ideas the NDP have tossed around during the lead up to the campaign is allowing young people to register at 16 so that they'll have all the paperwork in place when they become eligible at 18 and changing the timing of the elections so they don't occur in May when universities have just completed their academic year.
Bond agrees engaging with young people is crucial as statistics show younger people are less likely to vote.
"I remember a visit to a high school classroom where kids were just completely disengaged," she said. "[They said] 'governments don't listen to people our age, why would we care?'
"We need them to care because they're going to inherit the system that we have in place. I think it starts with really great education for young people, it starts with laying out platforms that people can actually make legitimate choices about and make sure that their voices are heard."
