Background History and Context

The City of Toronto conducts neighbourhood-level polls to gather the views of property owners, residents, and businesses potentially affected by local changes related to off-street parking (including front yard and commercial boulevard parking), permit parking, and the establishment of Business Improvement Areas (BIAs).

Between October 2023 and October 2024, approximately 60 neighbourhood polls were conducted, with each typically involving the distribution of 40 to 80 ballots.

Unlike elections for municipal councils and school boards—which fall under provincial jurisdiction—neighbourhood polls are governed by Toronto’s Municipal Code Chapter 190, giving the city authority over voter eligibility.

Organizing and Supporting Entities

Youth advocates with Vote16 Canada identified this as an opportunity to set a precedent for extending voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds, allowing them to build civic skills through participation in a low-stakes but meaningful decision-making process.

Vote16 Canada approached City Councillor Dianne Saxe, who agreed to sponsor a motion asking the City Clerk to report back on how to reduce the minimum voting age from 18 to 16. The motion passed in October 2024 with an 18–6 vote (2 abstaining), prompting the Clerk to begin a formal review.

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

The campaign attracted the endorsement of 21 civil society organizations involved in climate justice, poverty, safety, disability, transit, democratic reform, youth engagement, and public spaces. Mobilization efforts centered on digital outreach, including social media posts across Instagram, X, and LinkedIn, and a coordinated letter-writing campaign that encouraged residents to contact their councillors. The campaign also received notable media coverage, including four news articles and four radio segments.

The campaign grounded its messaging in a strong body of academic and legal evidence. Research in neuroscience—particularly by Dr. Laurence Steinberg—was cited to show that 16-year-olds possess the cognitive maturity required to vote in low-pressure, deliberative settings. Comparative political studies from Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Scotland demonstrated that young people aged 16 and 17 vote at rates similar to or higher than older first-time voters, and that the quality of their decision-making is equivalent to that of adults.

The campaign also drew on Canadian political science research showing that teenagers are as politically informed and civically active as their older peers, with Elections Canada data indicating high interest among 16- and 17-year-olds in both electoral and non-electoral participation. Furthermore, international experience suggested long-term democratic benefits: in Scotland, public support for extending the voting age increased significantly after 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote; and in Prince Edward Island’s 2016 referendum, turnout among youth aged 16–17 exceeded that of many adult age groups. These findings collectively supported the idea that early voting fosters a durable habit of participation.

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

In April 2025, Toronto City Council voted to approve the City Clerk’s recommendations to amend Municipal Code Chapter 190. The changes included extending the voting age for neighbourhood polls from 18 to 16, authorizing alternative methods for delivering ballots such as email (rather than exclusively by mail), and clarifying the treatment of spoiled or blank ballots by ensuring they are no longer counted as negative votes, though still included in minimum response rate calculations. The definition of “holiday” was also updated to reflect current City observances. The motion passed with a final vote of 18–3 (2 abstaining).

This change makes Toronto the first jurisdiction in Canada to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in a binding, recurring decision-making process. The policy is scheduled to take effect no later than November 1, 2025, giving young people a new avenue to shape their local environment and participate in formal civic decision-making.

Analysis and Lessons Learned

This reform illustrates that municipalities can independently adopt democratic innovations even within constrained constitutional frameworks. It highlights the potential of small-scale, low-cost interventions to have an outsized impact on democratic participation. By expanding access to a meaningful voting opportunity, Toronto has taken a concrete step toward recognizing young residents as legitimate political actors. Vote16 Canada has already drawn interest from civil society organizations and local advocates in other jurisdictions, suggesting that the model may be replicable elsewhere in Canada. This case also underscores the power of combining evidence-based policy advocacy with grassroots mobilization to drive local democratic reform.