An expert lays out the arguments for and against

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• A group of teenagers is pushing for Toronto to lower the voting age for municipal elections from 18 to 16.
• This would not allow them to vote in municipal elections, but would give them a say in changes to their neighborhoods.
• They say the effort is the first step in a broader movement to lower the voting age in all elections at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
• Read on to hear the arguments for and against change.

When Toronto city council meets this week for its November meeting, 16-year-old Jaden Braves and 17-year-old Sarah Morra will be in attendance.

For what? Because they want Toronto – and eventually the rest of Canada – to take youth voices more seriously.

Jaden and Sarah helped create a motion that would allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in a municipal poll, giving them a say in changes to their neighborhood.

Toronto city councilors are expected to discuss and vote on their motion this week.

The teens say their efforts are the first step in a larger movement to lower the voting age to 16 in Canada for municipal, provincial and federal elections.

Municipal poll in Toronto

Jaden Braves is the CEO and Founder of Canada’s Young Politicians and has been involved in politics for several years.

He was the youngest person to be elected to the federal council of the Green Party of Canada.

“But I always thought that as a young person in politics, it was difficult to have my voice heard or to be taken seriously,” said the 16-year-old Torontonian.

“It’s just obvious to me. Many 16-year-olds have jobs, pay taxes, use transportation and other public services. We should have a say in making decisions about the things we use.

Jaden Braves, CEO of Canada’s Young Politicians, left, and Aleksi Toivianan, national co-lead of Vote16, stand outside Toronto City Hall. (Image submitted by Jaden Braves)

So Jaden teamed up with Aleksi Toiviainen to try and change that.

Aleksi is part of a group called Vote16. Its mission is to lower the voting age in federal, provincial and territorial elections.

“We thought, ‘Why not do this at the municipal level and show the rest of the country that something like this could work on a smaller scale?’ “Jaden said.

Jaden, Aleksi and several other young Canadians contacted Toronto city councilors to build MM22.6, a motion that would allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in municipal polls.

Municipal surveys give homeowners, residents and businesses a say on changes in their neighborhoods, such as the creation of speed bumps or transportation routes.

Jaden said changing the voting age for municipal elections from 18 to 16 would help young Canadians get involved in democracy early.

“It’s almost like taking the civics classes we get in 9th and 10th grade and applying those lessons to real life in a low-stakes environment,” he said.

Sarah Morra, a 17-year-old also involved in the motion, thinks it’s a good place to start.

“I think lowering the voting age in this low-stakes way allows young people to be more civic-minded, participate in their community and prepare for a higher-stakes vote,” she said. declared.

Sarah Morra said allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal polls could help young people be more civic-minded. (Image credit: submitted by Sarah Morra)

Sarah said she doesn’t see a big difference between a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old. So it’s better to start developing voting habits earlier if we can.

Jaden made a similar argument.

“A 16 year old can drive a car, but cannot vote in our democracy. I would say being able to vote is much less risky.”

The municipal, provincial and federal effort

A larger effort is underway in Canada to lower the voting age to 16 in municipal, provincial and federal elections.

Eleven Canadian municipalities have passed motions to extend the voting age in some way, including Calgary, Alberta; Burnaby, British Columbia; and Brampton, Ontario.

These local efforts are largely symbolic: it is up to provinces to change electoral laws for local and provincial elections. But Canadian Senator Marilou McPhedran says they still send an important message.

Manitoba Senator Marilou McPhedran is behind a bill that could lower the voting age for Canada’s federal elections from 18 to 16. (Image credit: Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

“These are signals to provincial governments that change is happening, that support is growing for lowering the voting age to 16,” McPhedran told CBC Kids News.

McPhedran said lowering the voting age would strengthen democracy. She is responsible for Bill S-201, a bill currently pending in the Senate which, if passed, would allow 16 and 17 year old Canadians to vote in federal elections.

She said Jaden and Sarah’s efforts in Toronto could be the most important in reversing the trend, since Toronto is Canada’s largest municipality.

“If you see a significant change in Toronto, it can shed light on what’s happening in many other parts of the country. I think Toronto could be a game-changer,” she said.

Arguments for and against lowering the voting age

Valère Gaspard is a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa whose research focuses on Canadian politics, including our history with the voting age.

He says the voting age in Canada has not always been 18. It was 21 until 1970, when a large youth movement lobbied to lower it.

“Enough young people came together and lobbied for this project to force politicians to act to avoid the risk of destabilizing our democracy,” he said.

Today, he said there are five main arguments for lowering the voting age around the world:

1. Young people aged 16 to 17 are just as mature and capable as 18 year olds — Several studies support this argument, according to Gaspard.
2. Circumstances are stable — 16- and 17-year-olds are often still in school and living at home, and may actually be more likely to vote than 18- to 20-year-olds who may have full-time jobs and other competing priorities .
3. Increases participation — Lowering the voting age allows more people to vote, thereby increasing the total number of votes. Some argue that it strengthens our democracy.
4. Frees the citizens — This argument states that if a group of people are asking for the right to vote, it is better to grant them that right if there is no strong evidence for not doing so.
5. It’s their future — Decisions about issues like climate change will affect the future of today’s youth, so the more young people who can have a say in that future, the better.

Gaspard said five common arguments against lowering the voting age are:

1. 16-17 year olds are not mature enough — According to Gaspard, this point of view is based more on public opinion than on research.
2. Decline in voter turnout — As noted above, lowering the voting age is likely to increase the total number of voters, but this is different from voter turnout, which is the proportion of those who vote among all voters eligible. Since research shows that young people tend to vote less, lowering the voting age could decrease voter turnout. Some argue that low voter turnout makes people view election results as less legitimate.
3. Temporary deprivation of the right to vote — If the voting age is lowered at the federal level, for example, but not at the provincial level, a 16-year-old would be allowed to vote in one election and not in another.
4. Lack of will — Not all young people care about voting in elections, so it is safer to leave things unchanged until enough of them can demonstrate that they want to vote. Gaspard said the problem is that “sufficient” support is difficult to define.
5. Young people can get involved in other ways — Under-18s can get involved in politics in other ways, such as volunteering for a political campaign, which allows them to discuss and debate issues before they are eligible to vote.

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