WA teenagers are being polled on whether the voting age should be lowered to 16.
The survey, launched on Thursday by Children and Young People Commissioner Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, is the first to get the views of young people.
Ms McGowan-Jones said the request to lower the voting age was a common theme for teenage West Australians.
“From 12 years and up they’re really much more politically astute in the majority of cases, not all cases and, you know, some are not as age or developmentally enabled as others, but there is really strong evidence that these young people have the knowledge and information they need to vote,” she said.
“In WA, as far as I’m aware, there hasn’t been a survey that actually asked young people what their views are and we thought it was time.”
Ms McGowan-Jones said there was a need to ensure younger West Australians had a say in the policies affecting their future.
“They’re our leaders, not only now but into the future, and the legacy that will be left by policies and practices of governments of the day will impact them more than say … me, who is not going to live for another 60 years,” she said.
“There is also a really strong call that older people have less of a stake in the future than young people.
“We believe it is critically important that young people are given a voice in things that matter to them, including the youth voting age and it shouldn’t just be an issue for adults.”
While most countries have the voting age fixed at 18, a push across South America and some European nations has resulted in the the age being lowered to 16.
The newly elected UK Labour Government ran on a platform to lower the voting age from 18.
Asked on Thursday whether Labor would consider lowering the voting age, Acting Premier Rita Saffioti said there were no plans to allow under-18s to vote.
West Australians aged under 25 can fill out the survey at the Commission’s website before September 20.