EDITORIAL: Don’t fool around with democracy

Article content

Two voting initiatives are raising questions about how we elect our politicians.  

Britain’s socialist Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently announced that his country would lower the voting age to 16.  

In this country, the Longest Ballot Committee, which wants to put an end to the first-past-the-post system of electing Members of Parliament, has flooded ridings with hundreds of independent candidates. Having done so in Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s Ottawa-Carleton riding during the general election, it’s doing the same in the Aug. 18 Battle River-Crowfoot byelection in Alberta, where Poilievre is hoping to be returned to Parliament.  

Elections Canada has wisely adopted a form of write-in ballot to avoid printing more than 200 candidates’ names on the ballot. While the protest promotes itself as non-partisan, it’s fair to question why they keep targeting Poilievre. Although their efforts to disrupt votes have had little impact on the outcome of the elections, they do make counting the ballots difficult for Elections Canada. It’s a sophomoric protest that drives rational voters from their cause.  

As for lowering the voting age to 16, there’s no reason to follow Britain’s lead. Since winning a massive majority last year, Starmer has stumbled and blundered on policy. Observers suspect this move is a desperate ploy to flood the electorate with young, uneducated, left-leaning voters. The vast majority of those who swept him to power now have voter remorse. They’re unlikely to ever vote for him again.  

If we’re truly interested in revamping the voting age, perhaps we should copy the way we license drivers. We should consider a graduated system, whereby teenage voters are allowed to participate in municipal elections first, since snow removal and pool openings do have a direct impact on young people.  

At 16, youngsters have no experience with work and taxation and know little of the world. Once they turn 21, they can graduate to provincial and federal elections and vote on matters of national defence, trade and health care.  

Similarly, perhaps we should test the cognitive skills of older voters, the way we test older drivers, so we can ensure a competent electorate.  

Democracy is precious. It often seems scarce. We should guard it and protect it and not play with it like a child does with a toy.