Tuesday, October 14th is an important day for our country. The choice made on this day will affect all of our lives. However, do teens find this day important to them? Does the election really matter?

Television was full of election issues on Oct. 2. Both the Canadian party leaders’ debate and the U.S. vice-president debate were being aired. The next day my philosophy teacher polled the class on who had watched the Canadian debate. One girl put up her hand. On the flip side, when he asked who had watched the U.S. vice-president debate, a larger group of kids raised their hands.

Why was this?

“Canadian politics are boring” Tony Murdock responded.

The truth is, this is how many teens feel. Three-quarters of 18-year-olds have not registered to vote. Some simply believe their opinions don’t matter, while some just don’t care.

“Canadian politics are so dry,” said Connor Tkach when asked his opinion. “It’s a Harper landslide, so it’s pointless at this point to vote otherwise.”

There is no entertainment in our government. We have no movie stars turned politicians, no crazy antics made by our leader. Adding to our unglamorous election is the fact that politicians simply ignore issues that are important to teens.

But why should we wait for politicians to become interested in us? A 17-year old friend of mine has no interest in politics at this point in her life, knows nothing about the election, doesn’t watch the news and says she will “catch up” when she finds the need to.

This lack of interest is why politicians don’t seem to care about teens. This is why we need to take action.

If we make our opinions loud enough, politicians would be forced to listen. For those of you who are 18, vote. There are those who are still 15 to 17 who cannot vote, but have their own ideas on politics, who wish they could put in their ballot on Election Day. Canadians have many options when it comes to the polls. Unlike the American elections, we have five parties to choose from. Don’t let not knowing who to vote for stop you. Ask others your age what they think, there are those who have very interesting opinions.

And for us not quite old enough yet, we have an amazing tool at our fingers. We are in the age of the internet. Between YouTube and Facebook we have the power to let politicians know what we think, our views of their decisions. Don’t think that you cannot be heard because you aren’t a voter. And learn about politics now, so that you are ready to vote. Lastly, to those who have reached that golden age, register if you have not yet and vote. This is your future, take part in it.

Editor’s Note: Megan te Boekhorst is a Chilliwack Secondary Grade 12 student. Starting this week she will be writing a regular column about issues facing Chilliwack youth.