Assignment Task:
Today only a handful of nations allow youth as young as 16 the right to vote. In Canada, the voting age is 18; however, many are questioning if, instead, it would not be time to lower the voting age to 16.
Among the many benefits that may come from lowering the voting age, supporters for the electoral reform argue that it would "boost Canadians' lifelong participation in the democratic process". According to Stéphane? Perrault, chief electoral officer, "Canadians who vote early in their lifetime will continue to vote, and those who don't vote in the first few elections will tend not to vote later on. So there's a real benefit to making sure that Canadians vote early, and voting when you're 16, there's an opportunity to reach out to them" (CBC).
Do you think that Canada should extend voting rights to youth? Is reaching out the only criteria that the Canadian government should consider in lowering the voting age, or should it consider other criteria as well? If so, which one? Finally, do you think that children can fully enjoy all the other rights if they are granted the right to vote?
Bibliography: William Partlett, "Can Russia Keep Faking Democracy?" (2012), available at brookings dot edu.