MK Levy-Abecasis proposes lowering voting age to 17

Seventeen-year-olds can currently vote in municipal elections and their votes are worth approximately four Knesset seats.

By LAHAV HARKOV
An IDF soldier votes in Ashdod 370 (photo credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
An IDF soldier votes in Ashdod 370
(photo credit: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
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."
MK Ya'acov Margi (Shas) said that "the only thing preventing [17-year-olds from voting] are irrelevant and political claims, such as that giving youth the right to vote will help one population group or another."
Levy-Abecasis pointed out that at age 17 people can join political parties, but can't vote for them in the Knesset.