It seems like every federal vote in history has been preceded by one phrase: This is the most important election in Canadian history.

You've probably heard that almost clichéd phrase a few times during this seemingly endless campaign (which was actually only 37 days long officially, but unofficially started weeks before Stephen Harper went to the Governor General to dissolve Parliament.)

There's a certain truth to the old canard in this case, though, what with the economy, the war, the environment and so many other issues in play.

The question of whether one party will get a majority is predicated partly on voter preference - who did the best job of convincing you to give them your vote - but also on overall turnout. The party that gets the most people to the polls often wins. But the latter is not always a guarantee.

During the 2006 election, more than 23 million Canadians were eligible to vote. Only 15 million did, a 64.7 per cent turnout. That's considered high.  In the 2004 elections, only 60 per cent of voters bothered to go to the polls - the lowest such response in Canadian history.

Voter apathy is nothing new of course. In the very first Canadian election held between August 7th and Sept. 20th, 1867 - without electronic equipment, the early votes in this country actually took place over weeks and months - there were some 361,000 citizens eligible to vote. Just 268,000-plus actually did. Still, the voter turnout was 73.1 per cent - better than the past six federal elections dating back to 1992!

Here's a look at some of the factors that could affect voter turnout.

Apathy

Maybe the biggest reason people don't do their democratic duty. Some simply don't care about the political process and show it by not paying attention to the admittedly long-winded promises and speeches by the candidates or turning up to make their mark on Election Day.

Others don't really know who's running locally and some are also ignorant about the federal candidates.

In one eye opening experiment CityNews performed at the start of the campaign, some GTA residents we asked were more able to identify pictures of U.S. presidential candidates Barack Obama or John McCain than any of the federal leaders. Others claimed the American race was simply more interesting.

And then there's the divide in some younger people. While many are voting for the first time and looking forward to getting their say, one young 20-something CityNews.ca talked to told us he wasn't bothering to vote because he didn't believe anything any of the candidates had to say and he considered it a waste of his time. And he pointedly noted many of his peers felt the same way.

Illegal Election

Some are refusing to vote because they believe this election isn't legal. The reason? The feds passed a fixed election date law that was supposed to see us head to the polls on October 19, 2009, unless the House fell on a vote of non-confidence. That never happened but the election was called anyway. A group called Democracy Watch went to Federal Court last month to try and get the vote called off, but their argument was rejected.

The Weather

This is often a factor in keeping people from getting to the polls, but it shouldn't happen this time. It's still early fall and the outlook for most of the country on Tuesday - with the exception of a few points out east - is a mix of sun and cloud and temperatures at or above normal in most provinces. The GTA is especially lucky, with temps in the low 20s.

The Long Weekend

For the first time since Labour Day 1984, an election follows a long weekend in Canada. Although there's been intense media coverage right up until voting day, some may have gone out of town for the weekend and won't be back until late Tuesday. For the lucky vacationers, it was a great chance to rest, but unless they voted early, they may also miss their one chance to cast a ballot.

Religious Reasons

The vote was called on the same day that the Jewish holiday of Sukkot begins, a major festival in that religion. Under the tenets of their faith, the more Orthodox followers aren't allowed to work or write on that day - and that includes filling out a ballot. If they didn't make it to the advance polls, they won't be able to make their choice on Tuesday, leaving many disenfranchised.

Aboriginal Participation

Many natives are angry that their issues were all but ignored during a campaign centered on the economy. And some claim the new regulations mandating photo I.D. and an address is a also a problem for those who don't have one or the other.

Getting There

For some, the problem isn't wanting to vote, it's reaching the polls. In general, that's not much of an excuse. Most candidates' offices are staffed by volunteers who will provide free rides to and from their local polling stations to help out those without transportation.

Photo by Don MacKinnon/Getty Images