The Knesset Committee for Child Welfare plans to promote a bill lowering the voting age in general elections to 17. Child Welfare Committee chairwoman Orly Levy-Abecasis (Yisrael Beytenu) announced at a meeting with the National Student and Youth Council Tuesday that she would propose the change. Seventeen-year-olds can currently vote in municipal elections and their votes are worth approximately four Knesset seats. According to National Student and Youth Council chairwoman Gal Yosef, 'if we can get a driver's license, enlist in elite units in the army, testify in court and open a bank account, we should be able to choose our next leader at age 17.'
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)