The questions in the Stop
and Think in Lesson 10: Democracy in the World. Each answer
must be at least twelve sentences.
I will be
looking for three features in your answers and replies:
o Clarity: Does your response analyze the themes and concepts
clearly and concisely? Is the material placed in a framework that helps me and
the other students understand the arguments of the authors?
o Creativity: Are the examples recent and relevant?
o Correctness: How well did you understand the concepts and
themes? Did you include the most important elements?
1. STOP AND THINK
Today only a handful of
nations allow youth as young as 16 the right to vote. In Canada, the
voting age is 18; however, many are questioning if, instead, it would not be
time to lower the voting age to 16.
Among the many benefits that may come
from lowering the voting age, supporters for the electoral reform argue that it
would “boost Canadians’ lifelong participation in the democratic process”.
According to Stéphane Perrault, chief electoral officer, “Canadians who vote
early in their lifetime will continue to vote, and those who don’t vote in
the first few elections will tend not to vote later on. So there’s a real
benefit to making sure that Canadians vote early, and voting when you’re 16,
there’s an opportunity to reach out to them” (CBC.ca).
Do you think that Canada
should extend voting rights to youth? Is reaching out the only criteria that
the Canadian government should consider in lowering the voting age, or should
it consider other criteria as well? If so, which one? Finally, do you think
that children can fully enjoy all the other rights if they are granted the
right to vote?
Bibliography: William Partlett, “Can
Russia Keep Faking Democracy?” (2012), available at brookings.edu.
2. STOP AND THINK
On pages 145-149, Wall
advances a radical solution to the issue of voting and children: proxy voting. Every child, independently
from their age, should be entitled to vote. For the youngest children, who are
temporarily limited to express this right, parents and guardians should vote on their behalf.
Do you agree that
proxy voting is a good way to address extending the right to vote to young children?
