City Council has voted to allow Edmonton’s Youth Council to lobby the provincial government to change the voting age to allow some high school-aged residents to vote.

The city’s Executive Committee met and discussed the idea Tuesday – and both sides were argued.

Edmonton’s Youth Council is pushing to lower the voting age for municipal elections to 16, from 18.

“Multiple studies that have shown that 16 and 17-year-olds care about politics,” Youth Council vice-chair Cameron Somerville said.

The main argument against the change is maturity, as some councillors expressed concern that teenaged voters don’t have enough life experience – with things like personal finances and taxes – to make an informed vote.

“I think we all might have known, or might have been that 16-year-old that maybe wasn’t that engaged, maybe didn’t care what was going on in their city or in their province or in their country,” Ward 1 Councillor Andrew Knack said.

However, those pushing for the change argue youth would care and learn about issues, if given the chance.

“While there are of course going to be some 16-year-olds and 17-year-old who aren’t engaged, I can make that same argument in every age demographic across the city right now,” Knack said.

Meanwhile, Ward 12 councillor Moe Banga said teenaged voters would be too young to pay property taxes, and might not think finance-related decisions through.

“Tying property taxes to voting is not entirely logical, as it would mean there is only one voter per household, and in addition it would mean people who rent properties then, in theory, wouldn’t be able to vote,” Somerville said.

A spokesperson for the Municipal Affairs Ministry released the following statement in response:

“I would like to thank the Edmonton Youth Council for their commitment to making our province and democracy stronger. Although we are not currently considering changes to the voting age, this proposal effectively highlights the importance of involving young people in decisions affecting their communities. It’s an old cliché that young people are the future, but I think the leadership demonstrated by the council on this issue proves that their voices and perspectives matter today. We welcome their ideas and looking forward to hearing a lot more from them going forward.”

Knack hoped support from City Council on the idea might add more momentum to the proposal.

“If City of Edmonton’s City Council adds our voice to it, it’s something that I hope opens up that discussion,” Knack said.

The next municipal election is scheduled for October 2017.

With files from Jeremy Thompson