In WA's last local government elections, the average age of candidates was 53 years old.

With council elections taking place across the state on Saturday, candidates Lisa Ma, 18, and Reuben Smalley, 19, want to change that.

Ms Ma is running for the City of Perth and wants to make the city safer and more vibrant, while giving a voice to the younger generation.

"Government should be reflective of the demographic of our voters, and currently the council … lacks a bit of that younger voice," Ms Ma said.

"We need balance that reflects our demographic."

Ms Ma, a university student, said young people in local government could be the "bridge" connecting younger voters to council.

"There's a lot of young people that can vote, but I reckon they feel quite disengaged,"

she said.

"I really thi

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