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<p>This article makes the case that changing Australia’s <i>Commonwealth Electoral Act</i>&#xa0;to enable 16- and 17-year-olds to vote is a reform whose time has come. It situates this reform in a context of a planetary-scale polycrisis and a crisis of democracy which deeply implicate children under 18. We consider the history of attempts to lower the voting age in federal elections and in the Australian Capital Territory. The article highlights how the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition parties consistently opposed lowering the voting age while the Greens promoted this reform. We outline some factors that informed those political positions and that continue to do so. We then foreground key ethical arguments in favour of extending enfranchisement to 16- and 17-year-olds which include the principle of political and intergenerational equity. In doing this we draw on the ‘<InternalRef RefID="Sec3">Make it 16</InternalRef>’ campaign to highlight how many young people have worked over the years to lower the voting age. We also identify relevant empirical evidence that highlights how lowering the voting age can enhance democracy, promote good policy-making and intergenerational equity and fairness, particularly in the context of the climate crisis.</p>

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Why It’s Time: Lowering the Voting Age in a Polycrisis

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月17日

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  • Judith Bessant,
  • Philippa Collin,
  • Ed Krutsch

摘要

This article makes the case that changing Australia’s Commonwealth Electoral Act to enable 16- and 17-year-olds to vote is a reform whose time has come. It situates this reform in a context of a planetary-scale polycrisis and a crisis of democracy which deeply implicate children under 18. We consider the history of attempts to lower the voting age in federal elections and in the Australian Capital Territory. The article highlights how the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition parties consistently opposed lowering the voting age while the Greens promoted this reform. We outline some factors that informed those political positions and that continue to do so. We then foreground key ethical arguments in favour of extending enfranchisement to 16- and 17-year-olds which include the principle of political and intergenerational equity. In doing this we draw on the ‘Make it 16’ campaign to highlight how many young people have worked over the years to lower the voting age. We also identify relevant empirical evidence that highlights how lowering the voting age can enhance democracy, promote good policy-making and intergenerational equity and fairness, particularly in the context of the climate crisis.