Research suggests young people who voted at 16 were more likely to keep voting through their mid-twenties, a period when turnout typically slumps.Arlyn McAdorey/Reuters
Scott Stirrett is the founder and CEO of Venture for Canada and the author of The Uncertainty Advantage.
Young people are tuning out. Trust in institutions is crumbling. In recent Canadian elections, seniors were nearly 60 per cent more likely to vote than young adults. That’s a democratic crisis. If we’re serious about reversing the trend, Canada needs to adopt a simple, evidence-based idea: allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots.
Britain announced plans to do so before its next general election. Countries such as Austria, Brazil, and Argentina already allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections. Many Canadians continue to dismiss the issue as too fringe or too complex to take seriously. It’s not.
Lowering the voting age would increase turnout. Canada faces a youth voting crisis, with only 47 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds voting in the 2021 federal election, compared to 75 per cent of those aged 65 to 75. That’s a massive generational gap.
Austria lowered its voting age to 16 in 2007. Since then, 16 and 17-year-olds have consistently voted at higher rates than 18- to 20-year-olds. Research suggests the reason is straightforward. When young people are still in school and living at home, they’re more likely to vote. Their environment is stable. Their peers and teachers reinforce the importance of participation. By contrast, 18-year-olds often face their first election amid life transitions – such as moving out, starting university, or getting a job – when voting is easier to overlook.
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And it’s not just about a one-time turnout boost. As Dr. Christine Hübner from the University of Sheffield has demonstrated, giving 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland the right to vote appears to have disrupted the typical decline in participation during early adulthood. Young people who voted at 16 were more likely to keep voting through their mid-20s, a period when turnout typically slumps.
Higher turnout makes democracy more representative and harder to erode. At a time when democracy is in retreat around the world, increasing participation – especially among young voters – helps protect Canada’s institutions from the same fate.
A lower voting age establishes civic habits early. Most Canadian schools teach civics in Grade 10, when students are 15 or 16 years old. That’s the ideal moment to connect classroom learning with real political participation. Schools provide structure, mentorship and opportunities for discussion. When students have a real stake in democratic life, civic education becomes more than theory – it becomes practice. Waiting until after high school, when voting feels abstract or disconnected, is a missed opportunity.
Countries that have successfully lowered the voting age haven’t done it in isolation. Austria, for example, coupled its 2007 voting age reform with investments in civic education. Reforming Canadian civics education to include more political discussion, critical thinking, and mock elections would help young people see voting as relevant and accessible. In Scotland, young adults who remembered having political discussions in class were significantly more likely to keep voting in their 20s.
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A lower voting age gives younger generations more of a voice. Canada’s youngest citizens are inheriting long-term crises they didn’t cause – climate change, housing, intergenerational debt – but they’re excluded from deciding how we respond. That’s unfair and unsustainable. Ignoring young voices will only deepen the generational divide.
Some argue that 16- and 17-year-olds aren’t mature enough to vote. But we already trust them with serious decisions. They can drive. They can consent to medical treatment. In criminal court, they can be tried as adults. And we don’t test adults for political knowledge before they cast their votes. Voting is a right of citizenship, not a prize for passing a maturity test.
Some critics claim this is a partisan ploy, but evidence from Austria, Brazil, and Scotland suggests otherwise. Youth voting patterns mirror those of the general population. Young people vote across the political spectrum. Their presence doesn’t break democracy. It makes it more representative.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked with thousands of young adults through my role at Venture for Canada, which links interns and recent grads to paid opportunities at startups and small businesses. Most weren’t apathetic. They felt ignored. Civic life always seemed like something that started after adulthood. By the time they were eligible to vote, the habit of disengagement had already set in.
If we want a more engaged electorate, we have to start earlier. That means treating young people as citizens now, not future citizens someday.
This is common-sense policy. It’s backed by data and grounded in democratic values. Canada’s young people are ready.