Voluntary Voting at 17 in LGA Elections
Bruce Norman’s response (12/8/09) to Frances Bevan’s considered letter on lowering the voting age speaks more about his own maturity than hers.
At 17 society deems you mature enough to be able to drive a motor vehicle unsupervised after gaining a provisional license. If you are mature enough to be able to pursue a license to drive a vehicle then you should also be mature enough to pursue the right to vote should you wish to do so.
I would suggest that voting at Local Government Area (LGA) elections could be a form of provisional voting for those aged 17. Countries including Germany and Austria already allow those aged 16 and over to vote in local elections.
Thankfully it is not compulsory to vote in Tasmanian LGA elections so only motivated 17 year olds who went to the effort of enrolling with the electoral commission would be able to vote. This would help keep elected representatives accountable to a larger section of their community and one that often feels disenfranchised. I also believe that school leavers would have a greater understanding of the Australian political system when it came time to vote in future State and Federal elections.
The next round of Council (LGA) elections is in October and I believe this presents a great opportunity to trial voting for 17 year olds who want to help shape their community at a local level.
