B.C.'s voting age should be 16 says Green Party leader
The voting age in B.C. is currently 18
B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver introduced a private member's bill Wednesday to lower the province's voting age to 16.
Weaver says it's a common misconception that 16-year-olds aren't informed and engaged on political issues. He says they should have a say in politics because they will inherit what current leaders leave behind.
He says there is a lot of research suggesting the younger people are when they cast their first ballots, the more likely they will be to vote throughout their lives.
Lowering the voting age has been on the table in the past.
In January, an NDP MP introduced a private members bill to lower the country's voting age to 16.
In 2010, then BC Liberal leadership candidate, Mike de Jong, also advocated for lowering the voting age. He is now the province's finance minister.
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