Yes! I support lowering the voting age to 16 in B.C.
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Youth have the most at stake in political decisions being made right now because we have to live with them for the rest of our lives.
Our futures will bear the scars of this pandemic: university campuses are closed, job prospects are plummeting, while prices on basic goods keep going up. We’ve been faced with decades of uncertainty to come, meanwhile the climate crisis keeps accelerating.
In 2020, voter turnout in B.C. hit an all-time low. On top of COVID-19, young adults and post-secondary students face additional barriers to voting. Depending where their new school is located, they may have to register in another province, learn about the candidates and locate the nearest polling station. It’s a lot to do at 18.
Imagine starting to vote in high school, with support from your parents, teachers, and close friends. At 16, teens are in a stable environment and have most likely spent the last few years of high school in the same city. B.C. schools also conduct mock elections, with high rates of participation.. It would be a seamless transition to allow those already filling out fake ballots to do the real thing.
Youth must have a role in shaping our own future.