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? Quelles sont les conséquences de la réduction de l’âge du vote? Quel impact auriez-vous sur ce projet?

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. (Seulement en Anglais)

Le conseil municipal d’Edmonton est d’accord. Le 16 août 2016, un comité exécutif du conseil municipal a appuyé une demande du Conseil de la jeunesse d’Edmonton pour réduire l’âge de vote pour les élections municipales à 16. Le conseil municipal enverra la demande au gouvernement provincial.

The youth councillors, first and foremost, demonstrated that young people can have a relevant voice in our democracy by bringing forward a very compelling argument with strong evidence and research that 16-year-olds have sufficient cognitive ability to express informed democratic consent and therefore to vote,” Mayor Don Iveson said.

“I was persuaded by their evidence and I think anything that over the long-term fosters greater engagement and participation in our civic democracy – and ultimately perhaps provincial and federal democracy – is a good thing.

Mertz, E. (August 16, 2016). Edmonton City Council supports youth request to lower voting age to 16: Global News. (Seulement en Anglais)