Would lowering the voting age to 16 create lifelong voters?
There is an argument to be made that giving younger teens the right to vote will get them involved in voting at an early age and will keep them heading back to the ballot box throughout their life.
It’s also true that we need more people to vote, and if lowering the voting age will increase participation even slightly, then it’s a good thing.
But let’s not be naive. Politics is a dirty business, one that is often ruined by money and power, and what we don’t want to see is youth discouraged at an early age by negative advertising and power grabs among older leaders.
We’re not saying the voting age shouldn’t be lowered; rather, it’s not enough to simply lower the voting age without taking other steps.
People need to be engaged and need to think their vote matters, that politicians truly care about their opinions and that polling alone doesn’t determine the political agenda.
There is a suggestion that schools are a good way to engage youth in the political process and they do this in a very tangible way through civics lessons and even participation in “mock” votes that mirror the real thing. Student vote results are often sent to the local media and we often see that younger voters tend to cast ballots for the NDP or Greens.
Given the opportunity, it’s possible that if they voted en masse, they could change the political landscape.
More likely, however, is that without other changes to the way we do politics, the youth participation rate in elections would probably mirror the adult rate, dwindling over time.
Still, giving younger people the vote is an interesting proposition and one that deserves full consideration. After all, B.C. wouldn’t be an outlier if it approved a lower voting age. Other countries, such as Scotland and Austria, have lowered their minimum voting age to 16.
Besides, many 16-year-olds work, pay income and sales taxes, so it seems only fair for them to have a say in how this money is spent.
Recently, Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver brought a private members bill to the B.C. legislature for consideration and Premier John Horgan has agreed to consider lowering the voting age.
At the very least, it’s worth a conversation, and a proper debate.
