Given that elections are such a fundamental part of democracy and provide citizens with a rare opportunity to participate directly in the governance of their community, raising voter turnout ought to be a priority. Indeed, increasing voter turnout also offers a great opportunity to help make our public decision-making more representative and our democracy more responsive and inclusive.

So, how do we raise voter turnout and make voting more inclusive? There are a lot of suggestions out there, including making Election Day a public holiday, lowering the voting age to 16, allowing Internet voting, and targeting programs to specific communities that tend to vote at lower rates. But do they all make sense?

Panelists

• Hema Vyas, Women Win Toronto
• Mike Morden, Samara Canada
• Seher Shafiq, The Canadian-Muslim Vote
• Velma Morgan, Operation Black Vote Canada (OBVC)

Moderator
Sabrina Nanji, Toronto Star

The Mowat Centre is committed to connecting professionals from across the broader public policy community by bringing together people from the public, private, non-profit, academic and media sectors. This discussion is part of our Policy in a Pub series, an ongoing opportunity to hear from each other and exchange ideas in an informal setting.