IN a submission to the government 30 academics have said they strongly support a Bill which would see the voting age in the ACT reduced from 18 to 16.

The submission comes in support of The Electoral Amendment Bill 2021, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by the ACT Greens in December and if passed would see teenagers able to cast a vote in the next ACT government election.

One of the lead authors of the submission, associate professor Faith Gordon from the Australian National University (ANU), said young people are wrongly stereotyped as lacking political or moral judgement.

She says these stereotypes are not grounded in any credible evidence and are due to misrepresentation in the media.

“You can apply to join the defence force at 16, you can have sexual intercourse legally at 17 and you can be charged with criminal offences, but you can’t vote,” said prof Gordon.

“A large number of countries including Argentina, Austria, Bosnia, Brazil, Cuba, Timor-Leste, Ecuador, Estonia, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Malta, and Nicaragua reduced the voting age to 17, or in some cases to 16.”

The researchers’ submission outlines evidence from social science research which they say shows the value of expanding voting to younger people.

“Lowering the voting age to 16 years extends basic citizenship, democratic and human rights to more young people,” said prof Gordon.

“Reducing the voting age will also better align with the values of fostering an inclusive society by promoting youth participation and acknowledging the right to be heard in all matters affecting their lives.”

Read the submission here.

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