Youth urged to complete Commissioner for Children and Young People survey on lowering the voting age

Young West Australians are being urged to have their say on whether the voting age should be lowered from 18 to 16.

A survey by the Commissioner for Children and Young People is now open and wants to hear from WA residents aged under 25.

The survey asks questions including whether 16-year-olds who already have the right to work, drive, and pay tax should be allowed to vote and whether it should be optional at 16 while remaining mandatory at 18.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said the survey came about after scores of young people inquired about voting.

“When I’ve been speaking to young people recently, I ask them what the most important issues to them are and how they would like to be involved in resolving them,” she said. “A recurring request has been the ability to vote.

“Climate change, renewable energy, human rights and other key issues are being voted on now, the decision will have a big impact on our young people’s future.”

Ms McGowan-Jones said similar surveys in other States had seen a huge demand amongst young Australians to lower the voting age.

“The result of a Victorian poll in 2020 indicated that three in five young people wanted to vote,” she said.

“To my knowledge, there has been no survey asking what Western Australian young people think.”

The survey will close 5pm on Friday, September 20 and can be found online.