16 year olds to vote?

Hi grumppa

I am not sure allowing 16 year olds to vote would dilute the pensioner vote much.
My grandparents were alive when I was 16 and I think that there will be even more 16 year olds with living grandparents today.
With regard to driving it does depend on the individual.
My daughters did not have any accidents until they were 28 and the one which did have an accident at that age was due to brake failure on the other car.

Frank

POGS I don't see the logic in Cln Stewarts opinion. Does he think that 16year olds are perfectly capable of making a career choice to join the army which will probably affecr the rest of their lives but not capable of choosing which party to vote for? It is not as if their one vote will make much difference and the Government have often decided to send our service personnel into wars without the backing of the electorate anyway.

I do know many 16/17s who are interested and active in politics, but I do not think I know any of that age who have not dabbled in sampling alcohol by the time they reach 18!

grumpa

YUP Good point.

Surely this isn't a ploy to dilute the influence of the pensioner vote?! The Lib Dems seem keen to erode winter fuel allowance, etc., so it would make sense to bring in lots of young voters to counterbalance us at the polls.

I heard a little of the debate in parliament and the one comment that stuck out, for some reason, was that of Cln. Bob Stewart.

He said he had soldiers who joined the army at 16 but they are not allowed to fight in combat until the age of 18 . Why should someone of sixteen be allowed to vote to send soldiers to fight, something like that.

If the reasoning is ' well they pay tax, they should be allowed to vote', would it follow in that case they should at 16 also be legitamitely be able to fight in combat, drink alcahol and drive on the roads ??? Once the goal post is moved it sure as hell will have some nasty little issues rear their ugly heads in the future, not for the good in my opinion.

I can only say when I was 16 I had no idea about politics. I voted for a party because my dad did. The 16 year olds I know have not a clue about politics. I think there are dangers of indoctrination too in establishments like schools.

So no I definately am opposed to 16 year olds being used as political fodder.

I'm rubbish at IQ tests..I'd lose my vote

Lots of people don't bother to vote. That's no reason to stop 16 year olds from having the opportunity.

An IQ test??? Surely not...

yes there are middle aged and elderly people who don't think about what they are voting for and/or don't bother to vote but so are there 18-30 year olds who are not interested or informed (or vote as their parents have always done)
the real answer would be some kind of attitude/IQ test to determine if someone is Entitled to vote but that is not acceptable
does anyone know what proportion of 18year olds actually voted in the last election?

I'm with Frank and Vampire on this. I started working and paying Tax and NI at 15 but had to wait until I was 22 (or older?) to vote as there was no election the year I turned 21. My sister was already married with one child before she had her first chance to vote in a General Election. It is expected that some 16 yo people will be able to vote in the Scottish Independance Referendum. I believe this is right because the vote is about their future.

Barrow There are plenty of middle aged and elderly people who still vote as their parents did without bothering to think that the world has changed. 16 yos who are interested and informed will make the effort to register and to vote. Those who have no interest or opinion will just ignore it.

apologies - he is a LIBdem not labour - so it is a Libdem plot.

the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in the UK in 1970 (was the drinking age also lowered then?) so I have only been allowed to vote since I was 21
seriously do you think most 16 year olds know enough or care enough to vote with any sense of what they are doing. It is only 2 years to wait until they are 18 anyway. This is a Labour plot to catch the young with promises

I was very involved in politics from a young age and I agree with the young man. No taxation without representation.

I don't think they'd necessarily vote the same way as their parents. More likely the opposite!

Like a lot of people on here I started work at 16 but wasn't able to vote until I was 18. I didn't think about politics at that age, I was more interested in going out and having fun.

That's a reasonable point of view but the intention is to get young people more involved in politics. Won't work!

I do know somebody who was working last year when he was 16 and still is.
He is now 17.
He complained that he was paying tax he should have some say in how his money is spent and should have the right to vote,
I do see his point.

Frank