The arguments against lowering the voting age to 16 from 18 are familiar.
“Teenagers do not care about politics.” “They do not have a stake in system. “They lack the, um, let’s call it ‘intellectual firepower’ to participate in the political system.”
Myrika McDonald and Elyssa Sunray, have heard all of these arguments. And, at 17, their attitudes and actions challenge each and every one of them.
As future leaders, youth have a right to speak, said McDonald. Sixteen-year-olds are educated and engaged enough thanks to school and social media, she added. Consider last week’s March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. as a demonstration of the power of youth to shape the political discourse.
“At 16, it is a good idea to get more youth involved in political issues, as it affects us as well,” McDonald said.
She sounded especially critical of the criticism that, by virtue being young, youth do not have the intellect to make informed choices.
“There are people older than 18, who may not be as capable as 16-year-olds,” said McDonald.
Sunray agrees. Older critics of a lower voting age fail to consider that the education has changed significantly since they attended school.
The intellectual journey of McDonald and Sunray towards re-jigging the voting system began a few weeks ago, when they discussed the subject during philosophy class at Saanich’s Claremont secondary school.
It then led the duo to the steps of the Legislative Assembly, where they joined friends in holding up signs with slogans like ‘Do We Get a Say Too?’ and ‘It’s Our Right Too’ while covering their mouths with duct tape to symbolize the silence that the current voting system has forced upon them.
These local expressions of unfulfilled political expectations happen against developments that speak to a growing change in the western world and beyond. Starting in the 1990s, states around the world explored the extension of the franchise to 16-year-olds.
Austria and Brazil have since amended their eligibility rules. The English-speaking world, including Canada, has also studied the subject as part of efforts to raise political participation rates. Four years ago, Scotland became the first part of the United Kingdom to extend the franchise to 16-years-olds and 17-year-olds for parliamentary elections.
British Columbia could join this small but growing company of jurisdictions. Green leader Andrew Weaver has tabled a private member’s bill to lower the voting age, and B.C. and premier John Horgan, whom McDonald has directly written, has said he would be open to the proposal.
“I almost feel like it’s 50-50,” said Sunray, when asked about the odds of success. “They have already tried a couple of times to do it.”
British Columbia could be an example for other provinces to follow, she said.
While McDonald and Sunray find encouragement in the statements of Weaver and Horgan, they stress that their efforts are non-partisan.
“People are making this a lot about the political parties,” said Sunray. “This more about fighting for those, who can fight for our future, as well. So we are trying to stand up for them,” said McDonald. “Change should be welcomed, not feared,” added Sunray.
For now, the duo continues to drum up analog and virtual support under #letusvote.
“We are just trying to get the news across any way possible,” said McDonald.
“We are 17 and by the time this actually gets passed, it won’t matter for us,” said Sunray. “We are fighting for the people that it will affect in the future.”