On Voting
I’m aware there is an election currently under way. Advance polls are open all weekend — e-day is officially on October 19th. I can name the leaders of the 5 major parties in this race. I can name the major planks of their respective platforms, as well. I keep up with political news- be it in the paper, on TV or the radio, or on the internet. I always have. I’ve engaged in activism over the past 4 years- by attending rallies, getting petitions signed, and door knocking. I know a lot about the upcoming election, and could easily tell anyone who asked all about it.
I’m a citizen of Canada- born and raised here (not that it matters), and I’m proud to be a part of this country. I am politically active and engaged.
Yet I cannot vote.
Come October 19th, my friends, family, and millions of perfect strangers will all cast their ballots to elect a Member of Parliament in their riding. I will not be able to choose my Member of Parliament. I will not have any say in the party (or parties) who end up forming government after the election.
This isn’t because I’ve committed any kind of crime, this isn’t because I live out of country, this isn’t because I’m under any expectation to remain non-partisan.
This is because my next birthday will fall in May of 2016. Only then — eight or so months from now, will I be considered wise enough to decide who should govern my country. I am seventeen, and I am denied the right to vote.
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Because of my age, I am considered less of a citizen. I am considered somehow less capable than others to make decisions as to how this country will be run. Because I haven’t quite hit that magical age of 18, I am considered incapable of checking a box on a piece of paper once every 4 years.
At the age of 14 I joined a political party, and voted for its leader. No one in the party thought that I, as a very young teenager, would make a ‘wrong’ or uneducated choice. Yet the Government of Canada, every province and territory, and even municipalities, believe that I wouldn’t use my vote, or would somehow use it ‘wrong.’
I am not sure how you can vote wrong. I mean, I’m not going to start my own political party called the “One Direction Party of Canada” and campaign that Zayn Malik should rejoin One Direction and ALSO be Prime Minster of Canada. And even if I did? That is within my rights. Plus if I can find 250 people to get behind my constitutional right to create the “One Direction Party of Canada” it is deserving of acknowledgement.
In a political system where parties like the Rhinoceros Party — who are currently promising nationalized orgasms (one right after you vote Rhino, and one monthly if they form government) and a move for the nation’s capital (to Kapuskasing, Ontario, because it’s in the middle of the country) are allowed to exist and run candidates and accept votes, it is hard to argue that young people would use their votes any more nonsensically than the 3800 Canadians who voted Rhino last election.
That’s not even getting into the the “Official Monster Raving Loony Party” (and break-off parties “Raving Loony Green Giant Party”, “The Eccentric Party” and “Rock N’ Roll Loony Party”) of the UK.
There is a huge amount of evidence to suggest younger voters would be better informed on issues than older voters, as well as evidence that the younger you are when you first vote, the larger the chances are that you will continue to vote. But at the core of the issue, these don’t matter.
There are plenty of folks over eighteen who can tell you more about Thomas the Tank Engine than Thomas Mulcair (there’s also a character named Stephen on that show as well, go figure.) Those Canadians are allowed the right to vote. There are plenty of Canadians over the age of eighteen who have never voted, and never plan to, for a variety of reasons. But, if they ever choose to, they will have the right to vote.
The right to vote is not dependent on mental capacity, or on the likelihood of using it. It is a fundamental right, and part of our country’s constitution. There is no reason that it should be arbitrarily denied to certain members of society.
