Winnipeg school division trustees are pushing the province to expand the franchise and allow 16 year olds the right to cast a ballot in school board elections.
They are asking for a meeting with the province’s education minister to discuss possible changes to the School Board Elections Act, arguing that the main group affected by school board policy is completely shut out from the democratic process.
“Students should have a voice in how their schools are run,” said Mark Wasyliw, a school board trustee in Winnipeg. “We trust 16 years olds to drive a car – a dangerous vehicle that could take somebody’s life – so we can certainly trust them to make a political decision.”
Proponents of the change also claim that engaging teens in the democratic process might increase voter turnout in a province where just 42 per cent of people cast a ballot in the October civic election – the lowest numbers in more than a decade.
At a Winnipeg high school, a number of students endorsed the rethink.
“If given the opportunity, I would educate myself and I would vote,” one student said. “I hope my peers would do the same thing.”
A number of South American countries, as well as Malta and Austria, allow 16 year olds to vote. Iceland and Australia are considering lowering the voting age.
British Columbia’s Green Party has tried lowering the voting age in the province three times without any success.
In Manitoba, the provincial government has already said that it is not considering changing its laws, but trustees and students say that the conversation is not over.
With a report from CTV’s Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon
