Incremental voting rights to young people

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Submitted By
Mike McGraw
Votes: 113

There is no good reason we can't start giving young people voting rights earlier, incrementally. Start with local bylaw voting rights in junior high or younger, voting on municipal and then provincial matters / representatives in high school. Support these young people in seeking input from their own cohorts and also from the younger cohorts. Involve them in real, concrete decision-making. Young people will be quick to organize around this idea, and will not be corrupted by business interests the way adults can be. We are here to lend advice, mentoring, professional expertise, and life experience. They are our near-future leaders already.

Argue about the feasibility and specifics if need be, but it's really time to stop dismissing what our upcoming generations have to say - they have better moral compasses than we do in many respects, fewer hang-ups about old ways of thinking, and arguably far more stake in the near future than we do. They are also better connected and in many ways better informed. This will only continue to become more true as time goes on. We know this.

Canada can and should be a world leader in actively, concretely recognizing the significant potential of our globally connected, technologically savvy young people. This is a good idea!  

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