Voting Age to be Lowered?

Stephen MacNeil, the leader of Nova Scotia's Liberal Party, has proposed lowering the voting age in this province to 16. Although I commend the effort to engage more of Nova Scotia's youth in the democratic process, I cannot support this proposal.

Voting is a responsibility to be taken very seriously. Your vote, my vote, and the vote of every citizen aged 18 or over, could potentially be the single vote that decides the political direction of our province or our nation for a four(ish) year period. At sixteen, I feel that the majority of people are simply not aware enough of the bigger picture to cast a properly considered vote. This is not meant to insult or slight the intelligence of the many very bright, well-informed and educated youth we are blessed to have in this province. It is simply meant to point out that most youth haven't had the exposure to the world to develop a responsible position on key issues.

At sixteen, youth are concerned less with the boardroom table or kitchen table than with the cafeteria table. They're acutely aware of issues affecting education, and possibly some other social issues. The awareness of your average 16 year old of economic theory, criminal justice policy, international trade issues and a whole host of other matters is limited. Very few will have experienced a punitive tax regime, personally witnessed justice gone wrong, or had their job exported to Mexico or China.

Now that I've explained why I believe our under 18s should remain excluded from the franchise, I'll explain what I believe we can do to enhance their participation. Nova Scotian schools have a woeful record of education in civics. We need to correct that. Nova Scotia's youth must be introduced to the political process early. They must have the vote explained to them, as a compulsory component of the curriculum, and not simply have it presented as a right, but as a duty and a condition of citizenship.

It's been more than a decade since I finished high school, and in that time I'm not sure how the curriculum has changed. When I was in school, however, I was lucky to have a fantastic Year 9 Social Studies teacher. He was a pioneer of the concept of mock elections and mock parliaments. In that year, over the course of four months, we had full campaigns, full debates, an election and a session of parliament. The issues were weighed and the systems explained to us. Of the members of that class who I still have contact with (about 20), every single one of us voted in this past federal election. That's a much better record than the average nationally (a mere 59% of Canadians bothered). That education was a complimentary aspect of the curriculum that he developed independently. I feel that all high school students should experience that kind democracy in action on a provincial (and national) scale.

Perhaps the best way to sum up my position is to say that no, I don't feel Nova Scotia's 16 and 17 year olds should have the vote. I do, however, feel that they should be thoroughly trained in the parliamentary democratic process at that age so as to prepare them for their future as responsible citizens.