Lowering voting age to 16 could save our democracy

Imagine this hypothetical scenario. You’re Justin Trudeau. You’ve finished an election with the most seats, but lost the popular vote. Do you step down and hand the prime ministership to an opposing party? Our guess is … no. And if asked whether you’ll move forward with proportional representation? Your answer is also no — it’s ostensibly the same outcome.

Our democracy is in trouble. During the 2021 federal election, voter turnout dipped to 62 per cent. Simultaneously, we experienced an increase in polarization and violence. A small but outspoken group of protesters attacked candidates, disrupted events and frustrated everyone else on the campaign trail.

Social media platforms became a conduit for hate speech and disinformation. And frustration among young voters was tangible, as politicians failed to address critical issues, like climate change and affordability.

Lowering the voting age to 16 would be a lifeline for our democratic institutions, and a remarkable legacy maker for Trudeau. Here’s why:

Historically, leaders who enfranchise new voters are more likely to win their votes — and subsequently, their re-election campaigns. Prime Minister Robert Borden supported women’s suffrage and U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, guaranteed racial minorities the right to vote. Both were rewarded at the ballot box.

This election, over half a million underage Canadians voted in Student Vote and just like the electorate, they re-elected Justin Trudeau. An initiative to reduce the voting age to 16 would send 800,000 new voters to the polls and increase Trudeau’s share of the electorate. It’s a political no-brainer.

Democracies only work when individuals have agency over their priorities and concerns. Young people have the most stake in political issues, but often, the fewest means to make systemic change. Think about the hundreds of thousands of 16-and 17-year-olds who are on the front lines of the climate strikes.

By lowering the voting age, we can dramatically increase civic engagement. Decades of research show that voting at an early age forms a lifelong habit.

But, it’s so much more complicated to vote at 18, when many young Canadians move out, start new jobs, or begin post-secondary education. Conversely, 16-year-olds typically live with their parents and attend high school. Imagine how easy it would be to create and educate a generation of lifetime voters simply through a polling station in every high school cafeteria.

So as Justin Trudeau seeks to fix our ailing democracy — and looks for policies to hang a legacy on — he should invite more young people to vote. Lowering the voting age to 16 will propel him to recapture the attention of the youngest generation, and strengthen long-term democracy for all Canadians.