Young People Should be Given the Vote in Elections at 16 Years Old - Theories of Youth

Internal Code: MAS7469

Theories of Youth:

“Young people should be given the vote in elections at 16 years old”. Compare and contrast liberal and conservative perspective on this issue. Do ideological beliefs determine people's opinion on this topic? The Western Australian Electoral Commission exists to provide quality, innovative and accountable electoral services every time for all Western Australians. Functions of the Electoral Commissioner include promoting research into and public awareness of electoral matters and publishing material on these matters. Given these roles, in 2007 the Commission was pleased to sponsor a public sector intern for a research project that may inform and advise Members of Parliament, the Government, departments, and authorities of the State, and others interested in youth electoral engagement, participatory citizenship and public involvement in decision-making. As noted by the Deputy Electoral Commissioner, Ms. Lyn Sirkett, in her 2006 Public Sector Fellowship paper, the legitimacy of representative government mandates and the practicality of implementing public policy are affected by the extent of this engagement. The opportunity to participate is a key to democratic maturity and is evident in growing calls for a ‘youth voice’ across Australia. But opportunity alone is unlikely to fully engage electors. Civic and electoral education is also vital. The enfranchisement of young people, and extending the idea of democracy as lived experience, is crucial to the democratic activity of voting. As this paper concludes, changing the voting age needs to be addressed alongside democratic processes in the lives of young people, through genuine inclusion and participation and civic discussion in the Western Australian context. Ms. French’s paper makes a valid contribution to a debate on lowering the voting age, for example in supporting optional voting for electors under 18 who are provisionally enrolled, as one element of youth engagement. Issues of automatic enrolment, voting locations, interactive online services, research into awareness-raising and education models, legislative reform, and a ‘youth charter’ cannot be resolved by the Electoral Commission in isolation. I commend this paper to those interested in our democratic process and youth engagement generally and trust it may assist in a wider public debate on the issues.