To: Dr. Erika Paterson
From: Gabriella Generoso
Date: February 28, 2023
Subject: Proposal for Improving Voter Turnout Among First-Year University Students
Intended Audience
Members of University Student Union’s.
Introduction
Most first-year university students are newly eligible to vote in a Provincial General Election or by-election, but practicing this civic duty can be overwhelming. The process of practicing this civic duty can certainly be time-consuming, confusing, and difficult, which discourages many first-year university students to vote. Canada has five major political parties: Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic Party, Bloc Québécois, and Green Party. Aside from the general knowledge civic participants are expected to have regarding each of the party’s political stance and values, they are also expected to stay informed about the changing political climate and current events leading up to the election.
Statement of Problem
While most first-year university students are newly eligible to vote in a Provincial General Election or by-election, many opt-out in exercising this civic duty, which negatively impacts voter turnout among first-year university students. The major implications of this problem are two: first, in dealing with the difficult shift of being a first-year university student, many find the process of voting far too time-consuming and inconvenient; second, there are not enough simplified resources for a non-technical reader (i.e., students who are not well-versed in political terminology).
Proposed Solution
One solution that responds to the two major implications is for university student union’s to host an event for all students to attend, where a representative from each political party has their own forum and briefly describes their party platform. For those who seek a more simplified and less time-consuming resource, university students union’s can send one supplementary email that is informative, easily-digestible and concise. The email will act as a digital version of the event, where the party platform is outlined. Contact information of party representatives will also be provided in the case that students desire more information. As a result, first-year students will be provided an equal, unbiased amount of information among all the political parties in Canada to equip them with the resources needed to execute their civic duty and ultimately, increase voter turnout.
Scope
To evaluate how to improve voter turnout among first-year university students, I endeavour to pursue five areas of inquiry:
- What resources are available to first-year university students who are newly eligible to vote in a Provincial General Election or by-election?
- What hindrances and obstacles do newly eligible voters face come election time?
- How much information do newly eligible voters already have surrounding Canada’s political parties?
- What topics are first-year students and newly eligible voters most concerned about regarding Canada’s political parties (e.g., party values, goals, initiatives, etc.)?
- How much time are first-year students and newly eligible voters willing to spend in order to learn about Canada’s political parties?
Methods
The primary source will be obtained through online surveys among first-year university students to assess the range of quality of resources available to them. Secondary sources will include news articles relating to voting opinions and behaviours among university students.
My Qualifications
As a third-year student at UBC, completing a B.A. in Political Science, I am knowledgeable in Canada’s major political parties, voter turnout, and overall electoral system. Having gone through my first-year in university, I can testify to the difficulty of finding an optimal balance between managing my coursework, finding the right clubs, making new friends, and voting in my first Provincial General Election and by-election. With these two qualifications combined, I am able to leverage my knowledge surrounding Canada’s political parties and also recount what incentivizes first-year university students to vote.
Conclusion
There is a disparity between the number of eligible first-year university students and voter turnout among this demographic. By addressing the aforementioned five areas of inquiry, I can determine what areas need improvement to deliver efficient resources and in turn, increase voter turnout among first-year university students. If the proposal is accepted, I will promptly commence my research.
Hello Gabriella,
Thank you for posting your Proposal. This is a good idea for a Formal Report, but while first year students will benefit, they are not the readers for your Formal Report.
Audience: “First-year students who are eligible to vote in a Provincial General Election or by-election.”
Solution: “One solution that responds to the two major implications is for universities to host an event for all students to attend, …”
“universities can send one supplementary email that is informative,…” —> First years students are not the readers for your report, because they do not have the authority to act on your recommendations. I suggest you consider the Student Union as your reader(s) – or, perhaps Student Services.
Please do a little research and choose a new audience, revise this post when you are ready, thank you.