This is a very interesting proposal, simossad - municipal government hardly gets any attention in Atlasia. I'm eager to hear the sponsor's argument for this bill, but after reading through the text of the proposal, a few thoughts come to mind:
(1) I am firmly in favor of the extension of voting rights to citizens age 16 and older. My position on this issue has long been that if 16-year-olds are expected to pay taxes and follow traffic laws, they ought to be eligible to partake in the democratic process. Currently, citizens between the ages of 16 and 18 lack representation at any level of government despite being expected to contribute to the treasury, a fact that runs contrary to the principles upon which this republic was established.
(2) I am concerned that the second sentence of Section 2.2 violates of the recently adopted Second Constitution. Article II of that document states that "No person shall be prime minister... whose account is fewer than 720 hours old;" the proposed bill seems to contradict that provision by allowing citizens age 18 years or older to hold any office in the regional government. I do support allowing 18-year-olds to serve in the House of Commons, though as the constitution already extends that right to all citizens regardless of age, I do not believe further clarification is necessary. Furthermore, I worry that by singling out persons over the age of 18 as being eligible to serve in the regional government, we imply that those under 18 are not eligible to hold regional office, which would bar Atlas' large population of minors from participating in our elections. For these reasons, I suggest that this sentence be struck out before the bill is brought to a final vote.
(3) I am intrigued by the idea of municipal "youth councils." It might be a good idea to reach out to educators and regional youth organizations to ensure that as many as possible are aware of this opportunity and can encourage their charges to participate.
