National

BC Greens want to lower voting age

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Sep, 2024 03:32 PM

The B-C Green Party wants to lower the voting age in the province to 16, saying the move would empower young people and strengthen democracy.

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says lowering the voting age and allowing teens to vote in provincial elections while they're still in high school would jumpstart civic engagement while giving young people a real say in shaping their future.

Allowing teens to vote while still in high school builds the habit of participating in democracy. With strengthened civics education, young ppl get a say in shaping their future, while sparking family conversations that can increase overall voter turnout and trust in the system.
— Sonia Furstenau (@SoniaFurstenau) September 19, 2024

The Greens say B-C would join countries such as Argentina and Estonia, as well as the United Kingdom, where the governing party has committed to making the change.

The Greens are also promising to create a Standing Citizens Assembly, a group of 40 randomly selected people who would meet every two years to discuss and offer recommendations about issues in their communities.

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