Do you think the campaign to let 16-year-olds vote will be a success?

[HEyHEY]

Your thoughts either way.

SENIORS AT A WEST VANCOUVER HIGHSCHOOL SPENT THE AFTERNOON LISTENING TO A COUPLE OF FEDERAL M-P'S WHO WANT TO CHANGE THE VOTING AGE TO 16.
DURING THE QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION, ONE STUDENT FROM ROCKRIDGE SECONDARY ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS A CONCERN IN PARLIAMENT 16 YEAR OLDS ARE TOO EASILY INFLUENCED.
N-D-P M-P NATHAN CULLEN SAYS M-P'S ARE LIKELY MORE WORRIED TEENS HAVE TOO MUCH INFLUENCE, ARGUING YOUNG PEOPLE HAD A MAJOR IMPACT ON CANADA'S DECISION NOT TO TAKE PART IN THE WAR IN IRAQ.
LIBERAL M-P MARK HOLLAND HOPES TO GET BILL C-261 PASSED IN TIME FOR THE NEXT FEDERAL ELECTION.

Uh, when will they learn we don't have "Seniors" in Canada. Or at least not in BC

[illflem]

1. Don't know about Canada

but in the US I doubt if very many 16 year olds would vote even if they could.

[HockeyMom]

2. 21 to 18

The original argument here when it was lowered from 21 to 18 was that if 18 year olds could be drafted (or marry, sign contract, etc.) they should also be able to vote for the person who could send them off to war.

16 year olds cannot do any of those things - yet. Rate we are going they will be drafting 12 year olds.

[NV Whino]

3. I don't think that 16-year-olds should be able to:

Vote
Marry
Be drafted/voluteer for military service
Have kids

and a number of other things, but those are the important ones.

[iverglas]

5. agreed

and add to the list: be charged, tried and punished as adults for crimes.

Drawing the line at eighteen is pretty reasonable as the point when a majority of people have sufficient knowledge of the world, and have sufficiently developed the ability to understand the consequences of their actions (and desire to minimize harmful consequences for others), that we can/should

- let them make major life-altering decisions for themselves (in respect of things that it is possible to prevent them from doing or make them do, of course), e.g. get married

- hold them fully accountable for the effects of their actions on others, e.g. be charged/tried/punished for crimes on the same basis as adults

- give them the power to make decisions that affect other people in significant ways, e.g. vote

I was one hell of a knowledgeable and "responsible" 16-year-old. I'm not sure that I was knowledgeable enough to understand that not all 16-year-olds are/were sufficiently knowledgeable and "responsible" to be given input into the choice of the government, and in fact I'm not sure that I was myself. Probably more so than lots of 40-year-olds, of course, but no line we ever draw accounts perfectly for individual variances.

[GideonStargrave]

6. Actually in Canada...

16 year olds can volunteer/be drafted for the military, so giving them the vote kinda makes sense if you look at what hockey mom wrote.
In the end though, I doubt that most of them would even vote if given the chance. I'm 23 and most of the people I know don't bother to vote.

SENIORS AT A WEST VANCOUVER HIGHSCHOOL

Oh and when I read this, I actually had to wonder why the MP's would be selling their plan to allow 16 year olds to vote to a bunch of people 65+.

[iverglas]

7. oh yikes, I just got it

SENIORS AT A WEST VANCOUVER HIGHSCHOOL

Oh and when I read this, I actually had to wonder why the MP's would be selling their plan to allow 16 year olds to vote to a bunch of people 65+.

Me too. Still did, until I read yours, and saw the actual seniors / high school juxtaposition for what it was.

I'd thought that the previous post about us not having "seniors" was meant to say that we had some other more p-c term for "old people"! I even spent a moment wondering what it was.

And now, back to "mum" or "mom" ...

[ironflange]

4. No

If 16yo kids get the vote, someone will start working for 14yo's. This slippery slope will eventually give the right to vote to sperm and eggs.