How young is too young to vote? That’s the question being debated at Queen’s Park as the MPP from Beaches-East York has proposed changing the voting age from 18 to 16 in Ontario. Arthur Potts says if 16-year-olds are trusted to drive cars and pay income tax, it’s time to trust them to vote.
Canada’s acting chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault says the idea is worth considering, noting Canadians who vote early in their lives continue to go to the polls. The Private Member’s Bill was introduced at Queen’s Park earlier this month, and Potts noted places like Scotland, Brazil, and Austria have all lowered their voting age to 16.
Moose FM went to the streets to find out what the community thinks about the bill.
Potts says the activism of high school students in the United States on gun control has demonstrated that students have the capacity and willingness to engage in the political process. There’s no word yet if his bill will be voted on before the June election.