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

twinnytwin

I've just watched today's Politics Live and there was quite a good discussion about this subject (now on iPlayer). It was pointed out that similar arguments were used when it was suggested that women should get the vote!

I've for 16/17 year olds having the vote. If they can pay tax, then they should have the vote.

Children in the U.K. pay income tax regardless of age if they earn over and above the personal allowance, those under 16 do not pay National Insurance.

By your argument if they pay tax, then they should have the vote would mean baby and child stars should bite able to vote…

I've just watched today's Politics Live and there was quite a good discussion about this subject (now on iPlayer). It was pointed out that similar arguments were used when it was suggested that women should get the vote!

I've for 16/17 year olds having the vote. If they can pay tax, then they should have the vote.

I would say my grandchildren know precisely zilch about politics. They don’t even know about the Second World War. Mind you, they know about Aboriginal myths and legends. That is all they are taught.

*Grannygravy” marriage at 16 without parental consent is and has been the law in Scotland for centuries….hence Gretna,s popularity from English runaways .I personally know Couples who married the day after they left school at 16 and are still married more than 40 years on .Several couples ! You can leave school before you are 16 as long as you have a job or training to go to ,my Grandaughter left at 15 a few years ago to work with a charity in their design department and was happily accepted by all the people she worked with She is a very talented artist .
16 year olds are like any other age group and entitled to have a say in how things are run.The older age groups have made a real mess of the disunited kingdom for centuries.

I m happy as long as they get some political input at school
I hadn’t a clue about politics when I was 20/21 but I could vote blindly Most of my grandkids would have been way more knowledgable than me at 16
I can think of many adults (especially those that admire Farage and Trump ) who would be far less competent

If I am not wrong, in the UK you can marry at sixteen without parental consent, so it seems hypocritical to me that sixteen year olds may not vote!

And if one poster is right, as I presume, in saying that schools do not teach their pupils the ins and outs of the British political system, then it will not make any difference whether one is sixteen or eighteen the first time one votes!

Those who are sixteen now will, I hope and trust, live far longer than anyone of us on this forum, so it is not unreasonable to give them a say on the direction their country should take.

Excellent idea.

I know plenty of people over 16 who have been voting for years and don't have a clue. I used to work with this man who thought that there should be a law that married women should vote the same way as their husbands. When I pointed out that that would effectively give married men two votes he told me I didn't understand politics.

I agree with universal suffrage but plenty of older people who have been voting for years have far less understanding of current issues than quite a few 16 year olds. I believe you are pretty much as bright as you are ever going to be at 16 but it could be argued that you don't have the life experience I suppose.

I am surprised some people have so little faith in their grandchildren's understanding of politics. We have always discussed it with ours.
I think it is good to bring voting age in line with Scotland and Wales. If young people are allowed to be involved in the democratic process then they are more likely to understand the challenges that will face them in a fast-changing world.

I dont agree with 16 voting anywhere in the UK but I suspect it won't make a whole lot of difference unless some pop star is standing for the Monster Raving Loony Party.

It might backfire on them - serve them right if they go the opposite way to what they would expect. Kids have a way of doing that.

A no from me.

These kids can’t fight on the front line, leave home or marry, get a tattoo, work full time, earn a full wage, watch certain films or even buy a pair of scissors or a lottery ticket.

Crazy.

Grandma70s

Yes. They won’t know much, but then neither do most 18-year-olds, or for that matter the rest of the electorate.

Agree. They are probably as well informed as older people.

No from me. The adults should be running the country, but we are already being infantilised. At 16 you know zero about the world and how it works.

Of course everyone will pull out the 'adults don't understand either' card, but that's down to ignorance, not lack of life experience. At this rate, we might as well hand a newborn a voting card at birth as they also have a right to express their opinion.

They might have the bizarre idea to vote for Reform.

Categorically, emphatically "no". It is wrong on so many levels. They are still children with bizarre ideas. A cynical ploy by the socialists to gain more votes.

I would push the voting age back up to 21, frankly.

Yes from me too.

You are treated like an adult when it comes to joining the armed forces, age of consent, leave school, start work etc
The voting age was lowered in time for the Scottish independence referendum in 2015 and I watched youngsters arguing and discussing eloquently.

Well two of my grandsons are very aware of the environment and I guess that the Green Party will be their natural home.

Well, most 16/17 year olds won’t bother ( like most young people generally ) & those that do vote will probably vote Labour as it’s not ‘cool’ to vote Tory.
So I guess the winners are Labour.

Absolutely no from me. It's a desperate attempt by the labour party to grab young idealistic votes from teenagers, the majority of whom don't know enough about politics.

Yes from me. The ones who do bother to vote will be much more politically aware than many so called adults. The ones who haven't a clue wont vote just like the rest of the electorate. Maybe there should be a cut off age at the other end.

Daffonanna

I know many young people in that age group who are bright , thoughtful and engaged with the issues of today’s world. If democracy is under threat , largely through the cynical actions of some elderly world leaders , it will be that generation who will be forced to face it and find some solutions .
Citizenship education in our schools can now engage in real politics , and perhaps we will now have a chance to develop a voting public who have been taught to challenge and question the noise being pushed at them .

Over 60 yrs ago we were politically aware, at 14 our class teacher made it obvious that he was a Labour supporter and tried to promote his ideas in class.
He failed miserably and was very angry that we rebelled, today if it is change that you want, then many would choose Reform, not Labour or Tory.

LizzieDrip

A definite YES from me.

16 year olds can work, pay tax, serve in the armed forces. They should have the right to voice an opinion about the future of their country.

After all, the future is theirs … not ours!

Under 18’s need parental permission to join U.K. armed forces.

They cannot be deployed to combat zones until they reach the age of 18.

Young people under the age of 21 are dealt with differently in our law courts. Different sentence lengths etc.

You cannot marry in the U.K. without parents permission until you are 18.

You cannot drive until you are 17.

You cannot buy alcohol until you are 18.

You cannot leave education until you are 18, the exception being if you get an apprenticeship.

To summarise you are not an adult at 16.

Sadgrandma

Children are not allowed to leave education (6th form, college or apprenticeship) until they are 18 so how can they be deemed old enough to vote?

A 16 year can leave school and can work full time. If their earnings are above the tax threshold, they will pay tax like everyone else.

If this change goes through as now looks likely, then the Government has a duty to look at all the other protections afforded to those under 18 years.

For example, the Government is using the fact that 16 year olds can join the Army as support for the change. However, it conveniently chooses not to mention that there is a legal restriction on those under the age of 18 going into combat zone. Similarly, the upper age for juvenile courts should also be addressed.

A ‘juvenile adult’ is an oxymoron.