Bill to allow 16 year olds to vote to be debated in parliament

16-year olds are allowed to marry..,

The legal age to marry was raised to 18 in 2023

It might backfire. Starmer presumably thinks 16 year olds are more likely to vote Labour, but this may not be the case.

Many 16 year olds haven’t done anything as grown up as having a paper round, still have Mum and Dad ferrying them around and generally treating them as if they were 6.

No, I don’t think 16 is a suitable age to vote, or get married.

Or enlist in the army.

Times have changed, and children haven’t had to grow up as much as even 50 years ago.

Sadgrandma

The legal age to marry was raised to 18 in 2023

Yes it’s 18 in England and Wales, remains 16 with parental permission in Scotland and N.I. Or 18 without.

What has marrying (a personal matter which impacts only on those concerned) to do with voting? People always bring it up when anything to do with age is mentioned. That and joining the forces. Apples and oranges.

18 is the age of majority. Before that age people are minors with limited responsibility in law. If posters want marriage at 16 to be disallowed they should focus on that, not assume that it means that 16 year olds are therefore adults- they are not. Anyway, I thought marriageable age was now 18? Whether is is 16, 18 or 37 is till irrelevant to voting age though.

My DGD (17) said to me recently, every person she knows at college are going to vote for the Green party. So it could backfire on Labour.

Yes 16 is too young.

Doodledog

What has marrying (a personal matter which impacts only on those concerned) to do with voting? People always bring it up when anything to do with age is mentioned. That and joining the forces. Apples and oranges.

18 is the age of majority. Before that age people are minors with limited responsibility in law. If posters want marriage at 16 to be disallowed they should focus on that, not assume that it means that 16 year olds are therefore adults- they are not. Anyway, I thought marriageable age was now 18? Whether is is 16, 18 or 37 is till irrelevant to voting age though.

I can only speak for myself , I think that there should be one age where people are legally recognised as an adult for purposes such as voting, fighting for your country (you can join the forces at 17 but cannot go into a war situation until 18) marrying and purchasing alcohol.

I’ve always found the Conservatives opposition to voting at 16 wryly amusing given that they allow party members at 16 a vote in leadership elections ( which of course can be a vote for PM), but in general, there are a lot of much older people imo who shouldn’t have the vote so I actually am very relaxed about it.

Too young, and some will be influenced by school teachers; not allowed , but it does happen, increasingly.
18 is the age.

eazybee

Too young, and some will be influenced by school teachers; not allowed , but it does happen, increasingly.
18 is the age.

Really? What worries me is parents not hiding their copy of the Mail of Telegraph from them 😂😂😂

No. I think Labour are getting desperate now.

MT62

No. I think Labour are getting desperate now.

No shouldn’t be allowed. Brains aren’t fully developed at that age.
Too busy looking at porn & computer games at that age.
If KS wants boots on the ground, I definitely wouldn’t want to vote for labour at aged 16

GrannyGravy13

Doodledog

What has marrying (a personal matter which impacts only on those concerned) to do with voting? People always bring it up when anything to do with age is mentioned. That and joining the forces. Apples and oranges.

18 is the age of majority. Before that age people are minors with limited responsibility in law. If posters want marriage at 16 to be disallowed they should focus on that, not assume that it means that 16 year olds are therefore adults- they are not. Anyway, I thought marriageable age was now 18? Whether is is 16, 18 or 37 is till irrelevant to voting age though.

I can only speak for myself , I think that there should be one age where people are legally recognised as an adult for purposes such as voting, fighting for your country (you can join the forces at 17 but cannot go into a war situation until 18) marrying and purchasing alcohol.

That makes sense, but it's still the case that we don't have that, and saying that because someone may legally do one thing should mean they are allowed to do another just doesn't.

For one thing, why assume that the age should move down, rather than up? Things are decided on an individual basis, so a universal age won't always be the best way. I assume that allowing marriage at 16 was because that is the age of consent, and allowing sex but not marriage under law would have been seen as immoral. Driving at 17 means you might have passed a test by the age of 18, so are legal on the roads, and so on. There are arguments for not allowing the sale of alcohol to under 25s, and in the US I think the age is 21 - or does that depend on the state? Anyway, my point is that these things are subjective, and one size doesn't always fit all.

This is heresy but I think raising the.voting age to 21 or more could be a good idea.

A lot of the younger generation around our way will vote for reform. I know a good few.
Especially when they hear “ boots on the ground “
We still have flags from every corner of our streets, & gardens, so they will, no doubt be persuaded by the parents to vote reform, or anyone else other that labour.

16 and 17 year olds in Scotland and Wales can vote for their members of the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, as well as their local councillors. Why should England be different?

electoral-reform.org.uk/campaigns/votes-at-16/

The prediction (by some) that young people will vote differently to how they chose to vote is irrelevant. It’s called democracy.

And it isn't as if adults make the right call, is it - or chose what is best for young people. Ten years since the EU referendum, the result of which has limited their futures. The majority of people who vote to leave were old.

In The Social Contract, Rousseau said that people voted selfishly, prioritising personal interests over the common good. If they didn’t, we would have a socialist government, wouldn’t we? Wasn't it Tony Benn who said that if people really cared about one another, we wouldn't need socialism?

16 and 17 year olds in the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Brazil and Austria also have the vote, as well as for some elections in Germany, Malta and Norway.

I’ve heard that NJ13.
I think they could quite possibly get in around the Denton/Gorton area.
I really hope not.

I think 16 is too young. The age of majority is 18 and the fact that they can't marry, obtain credit, be sent to war, buy sharp knives or alcohol is good enough reason for them not to have vote. They are considered by society not to be mature enough to do these things.

I do realise that 16 year olds can marry in parts of the UK and that a very small number are in the fortunate position to earn enough or have enough unearned income to pay tax.

Allowing them to vote is just away for one political party to up their share of the vote. It could well backfire big time. The Greens will work hard to secure the younger voters and Reform will push for the votes of the young particularly young males who feel left behind and let down.

MT62

A lot of the younger generation around our way will vote for reform. I know a good few.
Especially when they hear “ boots on the ground “
We still have flags from every corner of our streets, & gardens, so they will, no doubt be persuaded by the parents to vote reform, or anyone else other that labour.

Yes this is a danger people dismiss but it is very real. Many young men feel let down. Not just 16 and 17 year olds their older brothers feel the same. Those calling them uneducated, knuckle draggers etc. etc. only reinforces Reforms pull. They will turn out and vote.

And it isn't as if adults make the right call, is it - or chose what is best for young people. Ten years since the EU referendum, the result of which has limited their futures. The majority of people who vote to leave were old.

And if all those younger people that were entitled to vote but didn't had actually bothered to go to the polling booth and voted remain we'd still be in. We bothered to ensure we could cast our remain votes by post because we knew we'd be abroad on polling day.

I think raising the voting age would be a better idea than lowering it. A 16 year old is a child with zero concept of what it’s actually like to be financially and socially responsible, and often a very simplistic and romanticised view on how the country could be “improved”.

Rosie51

^And it isn't as if adults make the right call, is it - or chose what is best for young people. Ten years since the EU referendum, the result of which has limited their futures. The majority of people who vote to leave were old.^

And if all those younger people that were entitled to vote but didn't had actually bothered to go to the polling booth and voted remain we'd still be in. We bothered to ensure we could cast our remain votes by post because we knew we'd be abroad on polling day.

This! The number of young people who bewailed the result, but admitted that they hadn’t voted because they couldn’t be bothered, or were at something more important, e.g. a music festival, was shocking but probably entirely predictable.