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Voter Turnout in Saskatchewan VOTER TURNOUT IN SASKATCHEWAN: HOW IMPORTANT ARE CIVIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION? A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Political Studies University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Nicole Pogue © Copyright Nicole Pogue, August 2004. All rights reserved. PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Graduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department of Political Studies or the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Political Studies University of Saskatchewan 9 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 ii University of Saskatchewan College of Graduate Studies and Research Summary of Master’s Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts By Nicole Pogue Department of Political Studies University of Saskatchewan August 2004 Examining Committee: Dr. John C. Courtney Supervisor, Department of Political Studies Dr. David E. Smith Committee Member, Department of Political Studies Dr. Cristine de Clercy Committee Member, Department of Political Studies Dr. Murray Scharf External Examiner, Department of Education Administration VOTER TURNOUT IN SASKATCHEWAN: HOW IMPORTANT ARE CIVIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION? Voter participation among Saskatchewan’s citizens has decreased in both federal and provincial elections, especially in the past decade or so, and especially among 18-24 year olds. Provincially, turnout has fallen almost 20 percentage points over a four-year period. Saskatchewan voter turnout in federal elections has fallen almost 15 percentage points in a similar time period. The purpose of this thesis is to uncover potential factors that might help to explain why turnout has decreased so markedly. Though a number of factors exist to explain why fewer citizens are participating on election day, this thesis has worked to seek out the explanation in two forms. First, taking into account the civic literacy theory of Henry Milner, this thesis has examined Saskatchewan’s junior and senior high school curricula in an effort to find changes in the way civics has been taught. Marked changes have iii been found, and differences in the prescribed teaching of civics throughout the years point to the possibility that the way in which civics is taught to students may have an effect on whether they feel a duty or obligation to vote. Second, this thesis has, following the social capital theory of Robert Putnam, concluded through a brief survey of membership numbers in a small number of community and volunteer organizations as well as church attendance and volunteer levels that community involvement may also be a factor in deciding whether to vote. This thesis has concluded that more, duty-oriented civic education is needed in Saskatchewan’s junior and senior high schools in order to ensure that students leaving the education system feel an obligation to participate on election day and in the community more than they are presently. iv For Carol, whose love of education and energy for life was so contagious. v “Citizenship is not a spectator sport.” -Robert D. Putnam vi Acknowledgments There are so many of you who supported me in a variety of ways while I prepared for, researched, and wrote this thesis. This past year has been a time for my two worlds, academic and personal, to combine. Many people who are important in my academic world became figures in my personal world while family and friends from my personal world entered into my academic world, some for the first time. To the History Department at the University of Saskatchewan, thank you for awarding me with the Messer Fund which supplied much needed funding to help finish some of the research and preparation of this thesis. Thank you also to Curtis Kimpton, Darlene Pontikes and Jan Baker for their willingness to discuss their respective organizations with me on short notice. To my thesis committee members Dr. David E. Smith and Dr. Cristine de Clercy, I deeply appreciate your help throughout the process of writing this thesis. From your suggestions in creating a thesis proposal to your final comments, I feel honoured to have worked with you. Thank you for your careful work and your well-thought comments. And to Professor Murray Scharf from the Department of Education Administration, thank you for taking the time to read my work and to act as the external member on my committee. To my academic friends and family in the Political Studies department at the University of Saskatchewan, I have thoroughly enjoyed my five years studying and growing with all of you. Many of you have become great friends that I will remember with fondness always. Thank you for the opportunities you have offered me as a student and friend. A special thank you to Professor Duff Spafford who always took great interest in my thesis topic and eagerly offered suggestions and advice. To my fellow graduate students, we embarked on a somewhat frightening journey together and with the support of each other we have survived! Thank you each for your time, your suggestions, and your friendship. To my thesis supervisor, Dr. John C. Courtney, you have been an inspiration to me throughout my university career and I appreciate very much the opportunity to have been able to create this thesis with you. You are one of those who have crossed over from the academic to the personal world and I consider you a mentor and a friend. Thank you for your guidance. To my many friends, old and new, thank you for your encouragement throughout this process. Your friendship has provided me with an arena in which to test my thoughts and ideas, and with an escape, if only briefly, from the academic world when I really needed it. A special thank you to Court, not only for your proof-reading and computer assistance, but also for your never-ending and unconditional support and patience. Thank vii you for listening to my ideas and my frustrations and for always showing me the ‘bright- side’, both academically and personally. Finally, to my family, thank you for instilling in me the belief that I can do anything in this world that I set my mind to. To my Mom and Dad for always encouraging me to do a little bit better and for never stopping me from trying something new. To Tanis, thank you for being such a supportive sister and best friend. You have never once questioned my ability to achieve my goals. To Wayne, you are a better brother and friend than anyone could ever ask for. Thank you for always ensuring that I know how proud you are of me. This thesis is dedicated to my friend Carol Thompson who gave cancer the fight of its life. Thank you Carol for being such a warm and supportive friend and for encouraging me to continue my education. I know that you would be proud of this thesis not only because you placed such importance on education, but also because you believed in everything I’ve done. I miss you. viii Table of Contents Permission To Use……………………………………………...…………………………ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………vii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………ix Chapter One: Introduction………………………………………………………………...1 Objectives and Limitations………………………………………………………..3 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………6 Theory and Definition of Terms…………………………………………..……..17 Chapter Two: Who Votes and How Does Turnout Affect the Health of Democracy…..19 Problems With Voter Turnout Data In Saskatchewan…………………………..20 Table 1: Voter Turnout In Saskatchewan Provincial Elections (1908-1964)……22 Table 2: Saskatchewan Voter Turnout In Federal Elections (1911-1965)………22 Voter Turnout In Saskatchewan (1967-2004)…………………………………...23 Table 3: Voter Turnout In Saskatchewan Provincial Elections………………24 Table 4: Saskatchewan Voter Turnout In Federal Elections……………..…..24 Table 5: Provincial and Federal Voter Turnout In Saskatchewan…….………....25 Should We Be Concerned About Low Voter Turnout? ………………………..26 Who Votes?……………………………………………………………………...30 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….34 Chapter Three: Educating Voters………………………………………………………..36 Is Civic Education Important?…………………………………………………..37 Saskatchewan Education Curricula……………………………………………...40 Themes In The Curricula (1907-1999)………………………………………….64 Elections Machinery In Saskatchewan and Canada……………………………..68 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….73 Chapter Four: Social Capital and Voter Participation…………………………………...77 Understanding Social Capital……………………………………………………77 Community and Volunteer Organizations and Social Capital…………………..79 The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool………………………………………………….80 Table 6: Membership In The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool……………………81 Early Participation
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