16 year olds to be given the right to vote…….yes or no?

We've had the younger age group voting in Scotland since the 2015 independence referendum for all Scottish elections and no-one has been at all bothered by it. Infact reading all these terrified sounding posts, I doubt many even know!

16 to 18 yr olds are 8% of the electorate so hardly going to change the general trend.

16 year olds were given the vote before the Scottish Referendum as a political strategy and that continued into voting in Scottish and local elections. They then advocated the lowering of the vote in England. It’s taken a while, but KS has followed Scotland’s recommendation.

Looking at the almost totally yellow SNP map of Scotland, probably KS is hoping for the same effect for Labour.
New mantra could well be,
^We can’t stop the boats but we’ll give kids the votes.”

love0c

I think it will set a dangerous precedent. If this goes ahead, they will have to allow 16 year olds to buy alcohol, pass the driving test, get married, sit on a jury, be named in court of any offence, be sent to an adult jail and in no way be made to stay in education until they are 18. Yes, setting a very dangerous president to themselves and the public in so many ways.

Rest assured. No such precedent has been set in Scotland or Wales so why would England have the compulsion to go down the route that you are suggesting?

I've just had a chat with my 15 year old granddaughter and she's very keen to get involved. She hopes that there will be classes and discussions at school about what it involves and the differing political issues etc. She also mentioned that it's her and her generation's future that's impacted. Very positive, although she did say that some of her friends will not have any interest in it.

twinnytwin
That sums it up really. Some are keen, some are not, same as the rest of the population.
That’s one reason Scotland was so keen to make first time voting compulsory in order to start the habit of voting.

I don't care

I certainly, even at 82, do care! The answer is a definite NO. If this becomes the case, then presumably these young people will be classified as adults. That is, able to fight on the front line, able to legally drink alcohol, able to marry able to sit on a jury, drive a vehicle, go to an adult prison, in other words treated in every respect as an adult! Ummmm?!

What leads people to the conclusion that the government thinks that sixteen and seventeen year olds will vote for them ,and that this is the reasoning behind the plan?
Is there any evidence to support this assertion?

I’m on the fence, part of me thinks yes, as it’s their future, however as many adults way way over 16 don’t appear to understand our political system I do think some political education is needed in all schools.

Many 16 might “legally” be “children” but many are more mature, work part time and take life pretty seriously than some “adults”

Certainly don’t agree that’s it’s a desperate Labour ploy as there appear to be a good few Reform supporters in the 16-18 year olds.

Mollygo

16 year olds were given the vote before the Scottish Referendum as a political strategy and that continued into voting in Scottish and local elections. They then advocated the lowering of the vote in England. It’s taken a while, but KS has followed Scotland’s recommendation.

Looking at the almost totally yellow SNP map of Scotland, probably KS is hoping for the same effect for Labour.
New mantra could well be,
^We can’t stop the boats but we’ll give kids the votes.”

That’s quite unfair isn’t it! At least Starmer has met with Macron to attempt to set up a plan.

The French news had an item at lunchtime about the change in England and whether votes for 16 year olds are a good idea. The responses were pretty positive, especially in terms of widening interest in democracy. Some of the young people interviewed were positive and some not, as you might expect. There certainly weren't any older people grumbling about it.

Cossy

I’m on the fence, part of me thinks yes, as it’s their future, however as many adults way way over 16 don’t appear to understand our political system I do think some political education is needed in all schools.

Many 16 might “legally” be “children” but many are more mature, work part time and take life pretty seriously than some “adults”

Certainly don’t agree that’s it’s a desperate Labour ploy as there appear to be a good few Reform supporters in the 16-18 year olds.

As others have said, political education is part of the statutory National Curriculum.
I think there is data that suggests some boys might vote reform, but girls tend to favour Labour and the Greens.

Does anyone else remember the debates and mock elections at schools in the fifties and sixties? DH and I were both at independent schools so the Conservatives always won, but it turned both of us into Labour voters. 😂

Jaberwok
We’ve already been told upthread that we can’t expect these 16-17 year olds to be classed as adults, even though it seems quite a reasonable idea to apply it to all things currently banned for under 18s rather than cherry picking the things you’d like to apply it to.

Chocolatelovinggran
If you’ve spent enough time on GN you will have repeatedly heard the blanket comment that older people always vote conservative.
Maybe KS has read that and decided he wants to include people he thinks will vote labour.

He could possibly be influenced by the results of the Scottish election in 2021, where 16-24 year old votes for the SNP were only marginally lower than those cast by 25-45 year olds and only around 10% higher than 45+ year olds. No separate data for 16-17 year olds.

Although younger voters are more politically active, they are less likely to vote or even register to vote.
Younger voters may have distinct opinions from the older sections of the electorate but as is a recurrent feature of UK elections, the lower turnout hindered any overall impact.

Our county council have a lot of Reform councilor's, not a majority but only 4 or 5 others needed to give them a majority, the Reform leader is a 19 yr old. Inexperienced certainly but very vocal and young voters will listen to him, young voters dislike the tax they pay and they seem to get so little in return, no more than Council Tax. A young worker renting a flat could easily be paying £250 a month, in return get rubbish collected once, try explaining to to them it’s good value.

Rayner is pushing the 16 yr old voting might just be an own goal, rebellious youth is quite likely to vote for Reform who promise lower taxes.

Mollygo

16 year olds were given the vote before the Scottish Referendum as a political strategy and that continued into voting in Scottish and local elections. They then advocated the lowering of the vote in England. It’s taken a while, but KS has followed Scotland’s recommendation.

Looking at the almost totally yellow SNP map of Scotland, probably KS is hoping for the same effect for Labour.
New mantra could well be,
^We can’t stop the boats but we’ll give kids the votes.”

Looking at the almost totally yellow SNP map of Scotland, probably KS is hoping for the same effect for Labour.

This was first seen in the manifesto of Gordon Brown. Perhaps you feel he could see the future Mollygo

Did GB do anything about it? Or was he too busy selling off our gold reserves and reducing pensions?

Sago

Very interesting responses, but definitely a NO from the majority.

We have a son and daughter who would have voted whatever their best friend/teacher/favourite celebrity would have endorsed and a son who would have researched the back side out of it and made an informed decision.

I think this will be a huge mistake.

Doesn't that variation apply to all age groups?

The idea that this is some sort of reliable poll is madness.

When I recall what I was like at 16 years old and grammar school educated as well, I say no, no, a hundred times no
I couldn’t make up my mind what clothes to wear or how to do my hair never mind choose an electoral candidate.

The suggestion that anyone thinks this is a poll at all, let alone a reliable one is the funniest thing I’ve seen today.
Oh well . . .

Celieanne86

When I recall what I was like at 16 years old and grammar school educated as well, I say no, no, a hundred times no
I couldn’t make up my mind what clothes to wear or how to do my hair never mind choose an electoral candidate.

I think my vote at age 16 would have been as well-informed as it is now. I think my children would have been the same. I guess it depends on individuals. On balance, I think 16 year olds should have a vote.

Mollygo

The suggestion that anyone thinks this is a poll at all, let alone a reliable one is the funniest thing I’ve seen today.
Oh well . . .

However, it has been suggested.

I was interested in politics in my early teens. I even sat through debates in the House of Commons sitting in the Strangers gallery. I was shown around by my MP.
Later, I had a friend whose father was a Liberal MP.
My DM encouraged an interest in politics and current affairs, although she was alarmed when my sister and I got mixed up with a protest against the Vietnam war, in Grosvenor Square and were charged by horses, narrowly escaping injury. I lost a shoe

DH and I continued with our own DC. Our being involved in local politics meant they grew up in a household where writing to your MP or helping with the count on election night were normal activities and DGS is going to be reading PPE at university this autumn.

I've always been interested too Grammaretto and like you, my parents were and my children are and both married people who are. My GCs are too but I would say we all have different areas that are our major interests, some overlapping.

What I don't believe makes sense is expecting the average 16 year old to know more than the average person already voting! You only have to watch the pre-election street interview to see a spectrum that goes from "immersed in politics" via "I don't believe facts matter but like to be loud when it comes to my opinion" to "couldn't give a damn and why do I care who the Prime Minister is?"

The same will apply to 16 to 18 year olds.