Abstract
The voter turnout of Canadian youth ages 18 to 34 is estimated to be 20% lower than those born between 1945 and 1959. Young adults were more than twice as likely to cast a ballot during the first election in which they were eligible in the 1960s when compared with 2004. Low youth voter turnout is concerning because electoral participation is an indicator of the legitimacy and health of democratic systems. Further, voting and abstention behaviours are habit forming, which means citizens who begin adulthood as non-voters are likely to stay that way. While a number of best and promising practices to improve youth voter turnout have been identified, no central means for evaluating the implementation of these practices in Canadian municipal government elections currently exists. This thesis describes the design process for the Youth Electoral Audit, an audit methodology intended to fill this gap. Apathy is Boring (AiB), a Canadian non-governmental organization, conducted a pilot Youth Electoral Audit during the 2013 municipal election in Grande Prairie, Alberta. The Youth Electoral Audit was found to be a practical methodology for evaluating Canadian municipal election practices and facilitating concrete recommendations for improving youth electoral participation.
