Seriously it really grinds my gears that the Canadian government thinks that 16 years olds are mature and intelligent enough to drive a car, work a full-time job, pay taxes, apply for a passport, and are able to live independently on their own without a parent or guardian if they want to and get married with parent consent.
But when it comes to voting the Canadian thinks 16 year olds are not mature and intelligent enough to vote. Its completely ridiculous in my opinion.
I bring up life experience because most 16 year olds are starting to take a Civics class in high school and are balancing this out while discovering their own social identity. Do I think that young people, on average, make good decisions? Not necessarily, but I also think adults aren’t perfect decision makers either.
I’ve since learned that political party members as young as 14 years old are allowed to vote in party leadership elections, so there is precedence in reducing the voting age minimum.
If young people continue to show engagement in politics, however, I could see the conversation being taken more seriously and the voting age being reduced (to 16 or 17) before the end of the decade.