Editing Voting age (section)

=== Canada ===
Canada lowered its federal voting age from 21 to 18 in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=bkg&document=ec90785&lang=e |title=The Evolution of the Federal Franchise |date=December 2014 |website=[[Elections Canada]]}}</ref><ref name="Maloney1"/> Most [[Provinces and territories of Canada|Canadian provinces]] soon followed suit, though several initially lowered their voting age to 19. It wasn't until 1992 when the last province, [[British Columbia]], lowered its voting age to 18.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-05-09 |title=Electoral History of B.C. |url=https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial-election/outreach-and-education/electoral-history-of-bc/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Elections BC}}</ref> A further reduction to 16 was proposed federally in 2005, but was not adopted.<ref name="vote16.ca/2007" /><ref name="Wherry1"/> It was proposed again in 2011, but was not adopted.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-03 |title=NDP revive pitch to lower the voting age in Canada |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ndp-revive-pitch-to-lower-the-voting-age-in-canada-1.5886443 |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}</ref>

In August 2018, in [[British Columbia]], a group of 20 youth partnered with [[Dogwood Initiative|Dogwood BC]] to launch a Vote16 campaign.<ref name="Dogwood">{{cite news |url=https://dogwoodbc.ca/lower-bc-voting-age |title=Lower the voting age to 16 in B.C. |website=[[Dogwood Initiative|Dogwood BC]] |date=2021}}</ref> Currently, they have unanimous support from the [[List of local government organizations#Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM)|Union of BC Municipalities]],<ref>{{cite news |last=McElroy |first=Justin |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ubcm-16-vote-age-2019-1.5299066 |title=B.C. municipalities want to lower the voting age in local elections to 16 |date=September 26, 2019 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> as well as endorsements from the province's [[Green Party of British Columbia]] and [[British Columbia New Democratic Party]] representatives.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pawson |first=Chad |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ndp-party-resolutions-lowering-voting-age-to-16-1.5371701 |title=How B.C. NDP resolutions could change the future of elections in the province |date=November 24, 2019 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}} The campaign is now waiting for it to be brought up in the legislative assembly by the NDP and for it to pass there.<ref name="Dogwood"/>{{better source needed|date=December 2021}}

In 2020, Canadian Senator [[Marilou McPhedran]] introduced a bill to lower the federal voting age from 18 to 16. She reintroduced it again in November 2021, (bill S-201), but it died on the floor when Parliament was [[Prorogation in Canada|prorogued]] in [[2024–2025 Canadian political crisis|January 2025]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Silver |first=Janet E |url=https://ipolitics.ca/2021/02/26/independent-senators-bill-would-lower-the-voting-age-to-16/ |title=Independent senator's bill would lower the voting age to 16 |date=February 26, 2021 |work=[[iPolitics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5578885/why-this-senator-thinks-canadians-should-start-voting-at-16-1.5578888 |title=Why this senator thinks Canadians should start voting at 16 |date=May 21, 2020 |work=[[CBC Radio]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title= S-201 (44-1) - LEGISinfo - Parliament of Canada|url=https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/s-201}}</ref> In December 2021, a group of young people filed a court challenge to lower the federal voting age from 18, arguing that the voting age is unconstitutional for violating multiple sections of the [[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms]].<ref name="Maloney1">{{cite news |last=Maloney |first=Ryan |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/young-canadians-voting-age-challenge-1.6268431 |title=Young Canadians launch court challenge to lower federal voting age from 18 |date=December 1, 2021 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> Several weeks later, [[Taylor Bachrach]] of the [[New Democratic Party]] (NDP) introduced a private member's bill to lower the voting age to 16.<ref name="Wherry1">{{cite news |first=Aaron |last=Wherry |date=December 13, 2021 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/voting-age-canada-taylor-bachrach-1.6284418 |title=NDP MP launches bill to lower voting age to 16 |work=[[CBC News]]}}</ref> The bill (C-210) was debated in May 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-03 |title=House of Commons to debate NDP bill on lowering voting age to 16 |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ndp-bill-on-lowering-voting-age-to-16-will-be-debated-in-house-of/ |access-date=2022-05-04}}</ref> The bill was defeated in its second reading with 245 members of parliament voting to oppose the bill and 77 voting to support it.<ref>{{cite news |last= Blagden |first= Jeff |date= 28 September 2022 |title= Bill to Lower Voting Age to 16 Proposed by Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach Defeated in Second Reading |url= https://www.cfnrfm.ca/2022/09/28/bill-to-lower-voting-age-to-16-proposed-by-skeena-bulkley-valley-mp-taylor-bachrach-defeated-in-second-reading/ |work= CFNR Network |access-date= 9 October 2023}}</ref>

Internal elections run by [[List of political parties in Canada|Canadian political parties]] have a lower voting age than that of general elections set by the government, typically allowing party members 14 and up to vote.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Governing Documents |url=https://www.conservative.ca/about-us/governing-documents/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Conservative Party of Canada |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Documents {{!}} Liberal Party of Canada |url=https://liberal.ca/documents/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=liberal.ca |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution of the Green Party of Canada |url=https://www.greenparty.ca/en/party/documents/constitution |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Green Party of Canada |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-07 |title=Accueil |url=https://www.blocquebecois.org/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Bloc Québécois |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Membership EN |url=https://act.ndp.ca/donate/membership-en |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Canada's NDP |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=David Eby's BC NDP >> Taking Action for You |url=https://www.bcndp.ca/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=BC NDP |language=en}}</ref>