The next municipal election is in October 2026, which seems like a long way off.
However, in view of consequences that can follow elections — such as the the follow-up to the last U.S. presidential election — the time to start planning for the 2026 municipal election is now. Local government is the foundation of democracy.
The last financial plan the Council to be elected in 2026 will forge will cover the period of 2030 to 2034. When debates about policies and priorities for that plan get underway, I will be 89 years old. The debates and decisions shaping the quality and cost of the services this financial plan will call for will be of little to no consequence to me; its impact on whatever is left to my life will be minimal.
Every one of the next Council’s four financial plans will have a profound impact on the lives and finances of today’s children. Why should I have the right to vote when it is our youth, who will have to live with and pay for decisions made in council chambers from 2026 to 2030, are denied a role in electing the next council? Why not welcome 14-year-olds as citizens and give them a say on who gets to govern their community?
Participating in elections is an essential democratic responsibility. Voting should not just be taught in high school, it should be experienced as a real life event.
We could strengthen democracy’s foundation by organizing a Youth Voting Pilot Project in conjunction with our 2026 municipal election. Coast Mountain College could chair this community project in partnership and cooperation with the school district, our high school, and the City of Terrace.
The school district could schedule civic lectures for all high school grades focused on British Columbia’s municipal governments. In addition to the traditional all-candidates meeting, candidates could be invited to introduce themselves and debate their vision for our community at a high school all-candidates meeting.
Special ballots could be provided for youth voters, identical to regular ballots, but in a distinct colour to avoid vote count irregularities. Voting should occur in parallel with regular voting – same dates, times, and locations – with designated youth voter registration desks and ballot boxes provided at every station.
Voting should not be mandatory for our youth; voting should be left to each individual’s discretion, as is the case for adult citizens.
Carried out in conjunction with the 2026 municipal election, this pilot project could provide the community – and the provincial government – with valuable insight on the subject of lowering the voting age for municipal elections to 14.
What did candidates learn from how the people who will have the power to cast ‘real’ ballots in future elections responded to their messages and to their positions? To what degree did these young people mirror – or divert from – the votes cast by their parents?
A comprehensive analysis of this experiment, from youth all-candidates meeting, to youth voter turnout, and youth vote distribution among the candidates would make a valuable contribution to a province-wide debate on lowering the right to vote in local government elections to 14-year olds.
Active citizenship is more than a right — it is a responsibility. Active citizenship needs to be learned and experienced at as early an age as reasonably possible. What better place to start the process than in a young person’s home town?
