Baisser l’âge de voter à 16 ans n’est pas une idée nouvelle. Dans certains pays comme le Brésil, l’Autriche et l’Écosse, les personnes de 16 ans et plus peuvent voter. Certains Canadiens appuient cette idée. D’autres s’y opposent.

Qu’en pensez-vous?

Jeff Coffman, conseiller municipal de Lethbridge, veut abaisser l’âge légal de voter, actuellement de 18 ans.

…research actually shows that the younger a person votes, the greater the [likelihood] that they will actually keep on being a voter throughout their life…. So this is about training a group of 16- and 17-year-olds how to be democratic citizens.

Civic elections are a great place to start, because teenagers use city services. They go to school, walk and drive on roads, take the bus and use libraries and recreational facilities.

I think kids nowadays have greater maturity than we give them credit for and they certainly have greater access to knowledge and information than what we did in my generation.

CBC News Calgary (September 23, 2015). Alberta cities vote against lowering voting age to 16.