Carnie's Comments
Think back to when you were 16 years of age. Were you politically engaged? Would you have voted in elections if you had been eligible?
I'm asking those questions today as the United Kingdom works on a plan that will allow 16-year-olds to vote in their next general election.
Manitoba senator Marilou McPhedran is pushing for the same in Canada, but we found folks on the prairies are not in favour.
We conducted a poll on our Golden West websites last week and found over 86% of respondents said "No" to the question, "Should Canada lower the federal voting age to 16, as the UK plans to do?"
About 8% said "Yes", feeling 16-year-olds "deserve a say in shaping their future".
When I think back to when I was 16, I was probably too immature to have a vote. I had learned about the levels of government, and I could name the Premier of Saskatchewan and the Prime Minister but there's no way I could have had an informed political discussion with anyone.
For the record, I am among the 86% of prairie people who believe "18 is a more appropriate age for voting maturity".