Voting Age Debate

by Apathy is Boring — October 12, 2006

Introduction

The question of voting age comes to the forefront because there are a number of people (politicians, policy makers, researchers and youth) who believe that lowering the voting age would have a beneficial effect on Canadian democracy, by increasing youth voter turnout. An alarming trend noted over the last decade has been a decrease in voter turnout by young people ages 18 – 25 and there are proponents who use these statistics to argue that lowering the voting age from eighteen to sixteen years is not a good idea.

History

From a historical point of view, Canada has undergone a number of changes in terms of voting age changes. 

• In 1867 the voting age was set at twenty-one years old. The next change occurred during the First World War’s Borden government.
• In 1917 the Borden government passed the Military Voters Act allowing all persons active in the military service regardless of age to vote. The standards did not change for the rest of the population; 21 was still the required age to vote.
• In 1970 Pierre Elliot Trudeau lowered the federal voting age to 18 by passing Canada Elections Act. The candidacy age was also set at 18, in the same bill.
• In the 90’s the age question resurfaced and The 1990 Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing (Lortie Comission) recommended the voting age to be maintained at 18.
• In 1993 the federal government passed a bill setting the voting age at 18 for those active in the military.
• In the years 2000 the voting age question is once again front and center. In June 2005 a private member bill introduced by Liberal MP Mark Holland was defeated but there is a lot of debate on this topic.

Where we are At

There are numerous arguments regarding lowering the voting age in Canada “if criminals can vote, and stupid people can vote, why the hell can’t a 16-year-old?” said Rick Mercer in a skit. There are numerous reasons why young people do not vote. According to Jean Pierre Kingsley the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada the major reasons are:

• low levels of political knowledge
• apathy or lack of interest (here’s where we come in!)
• a declining sense that voting is a civic duty
• limited contact with political parties and candidates
• practical problems, such as getting registered to vote

Lowering the voting age would be a step in addressing a larger issue, argued an Editorial in the Edmonton Journal on January 14, 2005: “While lowering the voting age is only one small component of addressing the much larger ‘democratic deficit’ bemoaned by politicians of late, it is certainly a good place to start.” About 12% of the Canadian population (2.6 million) is between 18 – 24 years old. According to the 2001 Census there roughly 800,000 Canadians ages 16 and 17. According to Elections Canada during the 2000 elections, 25% of the 18 – 24 years old voted compared to 64% of the total Canadian population. The number of voters for the 2004 election are 61% for the total population and 39% for first time electors (18 – 21 year olds).
   
Reforms

There is a growing number of Canadians who like the idea of lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 years old. Some of their arguments are based on the responsibilities 16 years old already have. They are allowed to drive, they are allowed to marry, at 17 they are allowed to join the army, they work and pay taxes - but they are not allowed to vote and have a say about how those taxes are spent by the government.

There are a number of people who consider increasing the voting age rather than lowering it. According to them young people are too immature and too detached from functioning society to be entrusted with the right to vote. They point out that fact that the voting age was lowered to 18 only in 1970 and that perhaps it was the wrong decision.

Party Perspectives

• The Liberal Party of Canada is split when it comes to the question of lowering the voting age to 16 years old. Liberal Members of Parliament (MP) like Mark Holland are in favour of lowering the voting age. Newly elected liberal MP and leadership candidate Michel Ignatieff is opposed to this idea.
• The New Democratic Party (NDP) supports lowering the voting age to 16. MP Nathan Cullen (NDP) supported the Bill introduced by the liberal MP Mark Holland
• Conservative Party of Canada: some members of the Conservative Party support the idea of lowering the voting age. In 2005 when Mark Holland introduced his bill to lower the voting age Belinda Stronach (a Conservative MP back then) supported it.
• Bloc Québécois (BQ) MP Stéphane Bergeron from the BQ supported the bill introduced by Mark Holland. They also support lowering the voting age to 16 years because in Quebec a great majority of the 16 to 18 years old are in favour of separatism.
• The Green Party of Canada advocates lowering the voting age to 17 years old “The Green Party is the only party on the ballot talking about lowering the voting age to 17-years old.”  http://web.greenparty.ca/download/Youth_Voter_Fact_Sheet.pdf
• Marijuana Party: does not have a position on this topic.
• Animal Alliance Environment Canada: has no position on the debate regarding the voting age
• Canadian Action Party: they support lowering the voting age from 18 to 17 years old.
• Christian Heritage Party of Canada has no official position of the question of lowering the voting age.
• Communist Party of Canada was one of the first political parties to support lowering the voting age to 16 years old
• First Peoples National Party of Canada does not have an official position on the question of lowering the voting age
• Libertarian Party of Canada: no official position on this topic but would consider it as a reform provided that “If lowering the voting age would lead to more libertarian activism and support
• for the Libertarian Party, then it's worth considering.”
• Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada argues that the voting age should be lowered to 14 “The voting age should be lowered to age 14 in order to involve people in politics and nation-building at an early age.” http://www.mlpc.ca/briefs/19950210quebec.html
• Progressive Canadian Party: no official position on the question of lowering or increasing the voting age
• Western Block Party: no official position

Pros and Cons

The debate regarding lowering the voting age is ongoing and is based on the disengagement of youth from politics. “Lowering the voting age will get more people voting”, argue its supporters. Involving youth in the electoral process at an early age will translate into political involvement for the rest of their lives. This argument goes hand in hand with the fact that 16 and 17 year olds are still in school offering a perfect opportunity to educate them about voting and the importance of voting. At the same time lowering the voting age will create a larger pool of young voters forcing politicians to address more issues concerning young people. Another argument for lowering age is the set of responsibilities 16 and 17 years old have already.

The Cons make a case of their own as to why the voting age should not be lowered. According to some people young people these days are not mature enough or in contact with functioning society to entrust them with the right to vote. According to them, young people these days lack civic engagement and they are less likely to hold a full time job compared to their parents. A large number of 18 years old have more in common with children than 30 years old, the put off adulthood and live at home more. At the same time some researchers have proved that the brains of young people today cannot process information like adults. A good example of the disinterest of young people in politics is a survey conducted by Elections Canada after the 2000 elections. Immediately after the elections in 2000 one in five young people could not name Jean Chrétien as leader of the Liberal Party and half could not identify Joe Clark as leader of the Progressive Conservative party.

Conclusion

There is a lot of disinterest on behalf of young people regarding politics. The numbers show that the percentage of young voters has decreased significantly. There is no easy solution to reengage young people in politics. Lowering the voting age is a solution proposed, but nobody knows what effect this will have. Only thirty some years ago the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 and now disengagement is a real problem. Yet youth involvement is just part of a bigger problem regarding democracy in Canada.
    
Sidebars
“Young people are less likely to vote because they are less interested in politics, know less about politics and believe less strongly that voting is essential.”
For most people, voting is both a right and a responsibility - but the extent to which people are willing to grant the right to vote, and the extent to which people feel responsible to vote, varies. Research indicates that some Young Canadians do not feel voting is a responsibility. Still, some politicians and political scientists argue that the right to vote should be extended to those under 18 years old to match the timing of other life responsibilities - paying taxes, driving a car or getting married.
http://www.cprn.com/en/diversity-voting.cfm

“We allow 16-year-olds to drive, marry, leave school to work and pay taxes. At 17 they can join the military. Surely it is reasonable to expect Canadians competent in those areas to engage in this most fundamental exercise of democracy.”
http://www.vote16.ca/en/comment/index.htm

A growing body of evidence suggests that today’s 18 years old are too immature to vote. We should be talking about raising the voting age, not lowering it.
MacLean’s Jan 16th 2006 Edition

Cons
“What are young people interested in? asks one prof. “Sex, drink, clubs – enjoying themselves”
MacLean’s Jan 16th 2006 Edition