Shut up and vote already

So, I recently linked to the Elections Canada voter registration page in a Facebook post. Didn’t really think much about it—just hit the “share this” button that Facebook conveniently provided. But boy, did that small act spark a conversation.

A friend in her ‘50s commented that we should lower the voting age to 16 (which I support)—but also cap it at 75 (which I definitely don’t). Her point—which was taken up by another friend in her early ‘30s—was that old farts are too self-invested and can’t think of the future consequences of their voting choices.

As a woman-of-a-certain-age, this offended the hell out of me for several reasons. First, it’s blatant ageism—imagine replacing the sentence “People who are over 75 shouldn’t be allowed to vote” with “People who are Syrian shouldn’t be allowed to vote.” You see the problem there, right? Ageism and racism are fraternal twins.

Second, the implication that older people should not be allowed to advocate for their rights and freedoms—and social services!—via the electoral process is just wrong. How else are we going to move the needle on aging-in-place and other senior care services? You think the 30-year-olds are thinking about this? Trust me—I have two great kids who are busy with their own lives at the moment—and they are not spending any time thinking about whether mom might need the services of a non-murderous caregiver one day.

Third, this notion that older folks can’t be trusted to make voting decisions that will one day benefit their grandchildren—or the planet!—is just absurd. (I suspect our Indigenous communities would just laugh at such an assertion. It has been my experience that they greatly respect the accumulated wisdom of their elders.) You want to see forward-looking seniors? Talk to the Raging Grannies.

And finally, there is the implication that the world is a mess because old people vote for people who don’t care about the world. Well, here’s the thing: it’s sort of true—because, duh, OLD PEOPLE SHOW UP TO VOTE. This is not rocket science—if young people really want change then they are going to have to show up at the polling station on one of the many, many, MANY days and times that it is open for their convenience. (And I truly hope they do, because: they. would. bring. it.)

I’m tired of all the yadayada from the youngsters about why they don’t vote. (I’m also tired of hearing them blame their elders—but I can forgive them a little because I did it to my elders too during the whole nuclear arms crisis back in the ‘80s. Theirs isn’t the first generation to live in fear and worry.)

As the old saying goes: Democracy is the worst form of government—except for all the others. This is the system we’ve got, folks. Make it work.

Shut up and vote already—whatever your age.