We need a rethink on who gets to vote

Dr Keith Heggart recently spoke to Jenna Price of The Canberra Times and The Echnida newsletter to discuss the idea of lowering the voting age in Australia. In the context of the upcoming Voice Referendum, Price writes:

"We hear a great deal from young people who want to be able to vote at 16. Good on them. I thoroughly endorse the idea of broadening political participation. These are the folks who inherit the future so should surely have some say on how it pans out. The latest polling shows over two-thirds of people under 34 support the voice to parliament. And over 55s? Only one in four supports the voice."

Keith Heggart continues the discussion of what it means to be part of a vibrant, participatory democracy with dismay at emerging trends for Australians to abrogate responsibility for finding out information in the lead up to the act of voting. "It privileges a passive and limited conception of citizenship that is at odds with what it means to be a citizen in Australia, and makes a mockery of Australia's long history of civic action and engagement."

To read more, visit the article here.
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