By Adam Donnelly

Westsyde students want voting age lowered

May 17, 2016 | 5:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — Just last week, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government made a motion in parliament to explore options for changes to Canada’s electoral system. While the subject of changing the way we choose our government is a tricky one, there are ways to alter our electoral system which could increase voter turnout, including lowering the minimum voting age to 16 years It’s an idea one social studies class at Westsyde Secondary is fully on board with.

It’s test day for Jeremy Reid’s Social Studies 11 class, but these Westsyde Secondary School students would rather be marking ballots than taking tests.

“We’re already getting jobs, paying taxes, and learning how to drive, so it’s only common sense that we’d have the right to vote,” said Parker Matheson.

According to Reese Mansfield: “Usually, when people start to vote when they’re younger, they then [to continue] to vote later on in life.”

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“I think it would, like, help with the turnout, to, like, the voting ballots,” Scott Lemphers suggested.

All valid points from these students.

the 2008 federal election saw the worst voter turnout in Canadian history, with just 58.8% of Canadians over the age of 18 cast a ballot in that election. In 2011, 61.1% of eligible voters turned out to the polls a 2.3% improvement from the previous election. Unofficially, turnout in last years federal election was the highest it’s been in decades, around 68.5%, but traditionally, the youngest demographic of voters is the least likely to vote. Just 38.8% of youth under the age of 24 marked a ballot in 2011.

We asked a former instructor of Political Studies at TRU what effect lowering the voting age would have?

His answer: “Absolutely none, really,” said Ray Pillar. “The younger people are the one’s that tend not to vote.”

Last week, in the BC Legislature, Andrew Weaver, Green Party MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head introduced bill M229, which if passed, will lower the voting age in BC to 16.

Students across BC are required to take a Social Studies class, in order to fulfill their graduation requirements. According to Weaver, voting at this age would be a natural fit;  Pillar says it’s unlikely many students would engage in the political process.

“Young people have got a whole lot of things going on in their life,” Pillar says. “Sitting down and listening to boring newscasts, and people like me talk politics isn’t high on their agenda.”

While many 16 year olds might not be interested in voting, Parker Matheson certainly presents a valid point in favour of lowering the voting age.

“There’s a lot of adults saying it’s dangerous to let us [16 year olds] vote,” Matheson said. “That’s what they were saying back in the day, when they wouldn’t let women vote. Maybe in 20 years, they’ll look back on this and think they [adults] were being dumb.”

With electoral reform on the horizon federally, and Bill M229 in the BC Legislature, 16 year olds at the ballot box could be a reality in an upcoming election.