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Original post by dartanoir
Due to the lack of education we receive at schools regarding politics up until the age of 16 I think it would be a very bad decision to let 16 years old vote. Realistically their vote would be based on what their parents political views are, rather than their own. That or there would be a huge increase in the amount of votes the 'Monster Raving Loony Party' would receive.


An increase in MRLP votes would be a bad thing? The party who advocated the vote at 16 about 20 years ago? Who advocated commercial radio, pet passports, all day pub opening? Whose manifesto includes keeping the pound (and the ounce and the hundredweight), and making Wensleydale cheese a protected species?
I don' t think I know enough to vote. So 16 year old won't know enough to vote.
Reply 42
Nope. For the vast majority of 16 year olds all they know is school and coming home to their parents house to play xbox and do absolutely nothing else in return for free food and accommodation. Government wants to introduce some draconian tax code, 16 year olds wouldn't have a clue why it is bad. Tbh 18 is too low, even at 21 I'm still just managing to get my head around what political parties are really about and how certain policies will affect the country long term.
Reply 43
I'd agree in saying stay at 18, not enough people have matured enough yet and although the conservatives and other parties mainly have policies which are unfair on our youth, a majority youth vote from 16 could be a bad route to take considering many of them have not fully developed yet, I'd be more inclined to accept 17 but mainly 18 seems like the correct age in my eyes.
It should stay at 18, I am much wiser now than I was 2 years ago when I was 16 (when I couldn't care less).
Reply 45
The Tories really are scraping the bottom of the barrel for voters.
Half the population who are currently allowed to vote shouldn't be. 9/10 16 year olds don't care about politics and will give their vote to whom ever their family tell them to, or which ever party comes out with policies that involve lowering drinking ages or some such.

Should stay 18...
I know everybody is different, but I'm just giving my personal example, that at 16 I didn't know a thing about politics, was not overly interested in the subject, and would either not have voted, or perhaps just done what my parents did.

18 is the age at which you become an adult and have to start making (if you haven't already) adult decisions - having a say in how the country is run is one of the most adult things I can think of in our society as a whole. Children and teenagers are, as a general rule, more self obsessed than adults. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean, in my opinion, that most of them wouldn't (and shouldn't) be thinking of these issues. Haven't they got enough on their plate at 16? Let them be teenagers and worry about teenage things - there's still two whole years for them to discover more about politics and form an opinion about where they stand.
Reply 48
Most 16 year olds don't care about politics let's be honest. You could argue that 18 year olds don't care either, but 18 is a good cut off point IMO. It's not too young and not too old.

When I say that, I'm not referring to voting in general, i'm referring to civil rights, alcohol laws etc. as the age of majority - but with those rights comes with it the right to vote.
I don't believe that it should be 16 year olds, however I am a 17 year old taxpayer (I pay tax due to my apprenticeship) - I pay my way in this country so I should be able to vote on where my money is going, only tax payers should be given the vote until the age of 18 imo.
Reply 50
Original post by becko37
The Tories really are scraping the bottom of the barrel for voters.


The Tories are actually against it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21178379
When I was sixteen, I hardly knew anything about politics and the sixteen year olds I know now aren't any different. In fact I could see them voting for someone just because they had a cool name, or not even voting at all. 18 is fine, leave it where it is :P
Reply 52
Original post by SinicalDev
I don't believe that it should be 16 year olds, however I am a 17 year old taxpayer (I pay tax due to my apprenticeship) - I pay my way in this country so I should be able to vote on where my money is going, only tax payers should be given the vote until the age of 18 imo.


There is no minimum age for income tax in the UK, so you think a 10 year old child that earns enough to pay income tax should have the vote?
Reply 53
I don't agree that voting ages should be changed for specific elections or referenda, especially when the party that has made that decision is clearly only doing it because it will benefit them.

So actually, I'm ok with this because it will bring the whole country in line with the Scottish independence referendum. Apart from that, I wouldn't say I support it though, I don't really care either way.
Reply 54
Most 18 year olds barely know anything about politics let alone 16 year olds.

The argument that 'they can have sex, get married, join the army, work and pay tax (etc.) at 16 so why can't they vote' only suggests to me that the age limit of those things should be increased. Although I don't actually do think they should be increased because those things only affect the individual's life, not the entire country (bar the tax, which is maybe unfair).

If the vote was lowered to 16, I think a lot more 'real life' classes would be needed in schools. Like law, politics, citizenship... They'd all have to be compulsory in my opinion.
Reply 55
Most of the answers in this thread hold a static view of reality. If 16 year olds were allowed to vote, the change itself would make many of them more interested in politics. It would also be easy to argue for additional education in matters of politics to support them, perhaps replacing a few of those tedious PSHE lessons with an introduction to British Democracy.

Oh, and no.
Even with their interest piqued and a bit of extra information about which party is which, few 16 year olds would have the life experience to understand what's actually being suggested by politicians.
Reply 56
I think most of the reasons suggested why 16 year olds shouldn't vote are also applicable to 18 year olds. Also, we are not allowed to restrict voting of over 18s based on intelligence/amount of interest in politics so I don't see why this should be used to restrict 16 year olds either. Frankly, I am undecided on this matter, I recognise the need for some kind of cut-off point but I can't think of a good reason for it. Why can't 16 year olds vote? Why can't 14 year olds vote? 12 year olds?

It clearly isn't intelligence or interest, so what is it? Simply ageism?
Reply 57
Original post by firebolt
The Tories are actually against it
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21178379


*Liberals, I should say.
16 year olds should be given the vote

LOTS of youths in my school either cares about politics either for their career or just a passion. There is a huge dogma on teenagers being apathetic to everything. Teenagers at 16 DO care about politics and some of the more pressing issues in society.

Many are serious about politics as a career choice.

By giving 16 year olds the vote, 16-17 year olds will be more engaged with politics and the change itself will encourage 16-17 year olds to take a more active interest in politics. Having a vote is power.

Bottom line is that decisions made on education, austerity, business etc. by the government will affect 16-17 year olds the most in the 5 year term.
policies successful in the commons when teenagers are 16 will come into effect when those same 16 year olds enter higher education and are seriously considering their career prospects and future working lives.

It is irrelevant that 16-17 year olds are not as experienced in life. Political parties will adjust and evolve to appeal to this generation of youngsters and will help make it easier for 16-17 year olds to voice their opinion on their experience of secondary education and how it can be improved for their benefit.
Looking back at when I was 16, I really had no place to have a say in politics.

I agree that a lot more young people do need to be voting in General Elections. Parliament make decisions depending on who voted them in. If 90% of people voting are the elderly, and only 10% are between 18-25, The government will act accordingly. As an example, rather than making pension cuts, making cuts in education. Ring any bells?
For this reason, young people do need to have a more active role in politics. But i don't think lowering the voting age to 16 is the answer, really. It is so simple to pull the wool over a young person's eyes that it's scary. I don't mean that to patronise a whole generation, It's just the quite sad truth. 18 is a good age to vote at. No need to mess with it.

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