Another Privilege to Abuse

Stylishly and romantically portrayed being 19 (or 18 in those provinces that actually make sense), is something everyone lusts for. It's a privilege often take for granted and even more often abused. From experience I know that the day of the "adulthood" birthday is often the epitome of this - drink, lottery, gamble, etc. - everything you could maybe get away with before, that you are now allowed to do. It's wonderful - the second one becomes an adult we revert back to the gluttony of a two year old. It's a perfect tradition, and should never change.
I, however, am taking up issue with the continued abuse of all these privileges - and one that is quickly approaching in importance. Let's look at a couple equations.

Irresponsible drunkenness = drunk tank. Instant repercussion = never repeat. Or here's hoping.
Irresponsible gambling = empty wallet = no food and no rent. Probably won't repeat.
The worst though? The one that actually may impact more than your person?
Irresponsible voting = potentially harmful leader of entire country. May repeat. Over and over.

Voting, because it is seen as the least cool of all the many facets of adulthood, is the one that is given the most thoughtless irresponsibility. It's also the one that is the highest privilege, and the one with the broadest spectrum of effect.
Personally, I am aware of people who take the time to register to vote (a lengthy process probably set up to discourage voters who don't really care... or just everyone in general), go to a polling station, and then simply pick the funniest name on the list. This is absolutely ridiculous.
Voting was originally a privilege given only to those of a certain class, income, etc. The ability to vote was given to the "every-person" with the hopes that they would choose a body to govern them, make their decisions wisely, and represent their interests. The vote only requires us to care once every blue-moon (or, to some, an election), instead of requiring careful consideration every single day, from everyone, about every little problem the country may face.
The US is on to something with the "blue" added to the "red and white", because although our voter turnouts are on par, the campaign trail in the US is like some sort of sport. People love watching, people lose sleep over it, people care about who will make decisions for them. Canadian politics, though, are committed to grudgingly, with a certain reluctance. There is no excitement or gratitude for the people who make our decisions; many people don't even consider who exactly they are handing their country off to. It simply isn't exciting enough.
Comparatively speaking, would you rather get drunk with your buddies and have a "fantastic" Saturday night, or spend five minutes bubbling in a ballet only to go, "Fuck yeah! I voted!". Honestly, which one will get you more high-fives? Which one will give you a higher social standing with your peers?
Voting lacks the shiny exciting-ness of drinking or something else "expected" of a new adult. But nevertheless it is expected, and this is where the Irresponsible Voter comes in. The person who doesn't really care, but knows they should, and so ends up abusing the privilege of voting more than they could ever abuse another right of the "adult".
Everyone has some prior knowledge about the major parties (or perhaps has heard of the more obscure ones), but going in to a booth to make a decision about who you want looking out for you, who you want to give your tax dollars to, and who you want to trust with your country, without having any real concrete knowledge is just silly. Reread the sentence - silly. What justification can someone give for not spending five minutes to sit down, read the "mission statement" of each party and then vote. Even at that simplistic point, one can categorize their self as an "informed voter".
What excuse is there, really, for not caring about the country that you live in? Even if voting is not such a "tradition" of adulthood, it is a right that everyone has, and is expected to live up to. And, if you can't look at it in those terms think about this: it's government that decides just what shenanigans you can get up and how often and what your various punishments will be. Why wouldn't you want to exercise some control over that?