Will 16 year olds vote in the EU referendum?

So should a 15 year old have a vote? How about a 10 year old, better yet, how about a fetus? 16 is too young and at that age most have little understanding of the "real world".

Silly thing to assume? 16 year old are still in school and a forced to look at detail into politics and the news. Not only do some 16 year olds literally study politics as a subject but the national curriculum includes issues such as immigration which gets taught using up to date statistics and information,and students are encouraged to look further into their views on the topic. Political debates and exercises are also common in schools which leads students to invest time and fully weigh up the facts (not just what a bias party want to put into large print in the news). The truth is 16 year olds would probably use a lot more cold hard facts then many of the adult voters who are stuck 3 decades in the past, we are more open minded to change and aren't holding on to Britain's golden years like many of the older generations are.

Is a 15 year old entitled to a job? No. Do they have to pay Taxes? Nope. Do they get charged adult price for pretty much everything? Nope. If I have to pay adult prices, pay taxes, abide to adult laws and work I think it's only fair I get a say in what those taxes go towards, especially as much of the legislation that gets voted on takes years to process and most likely those 16 year olds will be at least 18 to 20 before its out into action. For example voting out of the the EU is going to effect a 16 year old for the majority of their working life, not the 60 year old that gets to vote, not the 40 year old with an established career but the 16 year old who is starting out in life. If we have to live with the consequences we should get a say. The Scottish referendum is just proof of how passionate young people are about the country they want to grow up in.


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It's interesting that you make the claim, on several occasions, that students who are still in school, look at details when discussing politics and the news. Yet, not once have you provided any statistical evidence to back your claim.

The burden of proof lays with you, seeing as you're the one who wants to change the status quo.

Just because no one has looked into or done a study on a topic doesn't mean it ceases to exist.

I know this isn't valid evidence (because I can not find any evidence either proving or disproving my claim) but I'm still in school and therefore have friends around the country and my local area of school age. All the schools that they go to (adds up to about 23, majority in the south of England) hold political debates and offers government and politics as an A-level (which involves doing an hour every day into the subject).

The particular school I go to holds mock votes on every major political issue where as a school everyone gets a vote. The older years (16-18 year olds) represent the parties they would vote for (if allowed) and give speeches and do extremely in depth research into the party in order to represent them within the school. Those who feel they are educated and passionate about a subject are the only ones who would bother voting in the real life referendum, anyone who hasn't seriously looked into the consequences and arguments wouldn't bother voting anyway which is more then I can say for adult voters who have heard one speech or are just following the political party that their family do.

x

I wouldn't trust a 16 year old to make a gin and tonic, let alone vote on the future of this country.

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16 year old should get a vote after all they are probably more up to date on current affairs then most the adults that get a vote.


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Although I was too young to vote in the Scottish referendum, I saw in my school that young people were suddenly starting to take an interest in politics. As it stands, I can vote in the Scottish elections in May (and fully intend to) but not in the EU referendum just over a month earlier. However, the EU referendum is something that will affect me for longer than the election, so why can't I vote?

The argument becomes an opinion.



This is anecdotal and not fact.



Again, anecdotal.

At 16 you generally have no life experience, and haven't done anything yet other than consume state services and rely on your parents for anything else

There are some adults that never leave the village they are born in and teenagers that have moved 20 times, living amongst a number of cultures within the uk and around the world. There are adults that have the right to vote that have never worked a day in their lives and teenagers that have actually worked for 4 or 5 years don't get a say? Life experience is something that obviously increases as age does but quality of life experience doesn't.

A highly relevant aspect of life experience that most if not all sixteen year olds lack is having worked more than a few hours on a weekend and paid substantial taxes. How well-travelled they are is neither here nor there imho.

You are right that there are adults who have a similarly weak claim to a say in how the country is run, but the age restriction is a rough instrument. At least older people have had the chance to gain the relevant kinds of experience.

So your telling me if no one did a study on if people have blue eyes people therefore can not possibly have blue eyes?

And I did say that of course it is not evidence it is purely personal observation however it does prove that some (not all but some) teenagers do have the well informed views to vote for issues that effect them.

16 year old should get a vote after all they are probably more up to date on current affairs then most the adults that get a vote.

They may lack having worked a substantial amount of time every week but that doesn't come into play when deciding who is eligible within the adult population so I don't see why it should be the major decider for not letting 16 or 17 year olds vote. The difference between a 16 and 18 year old is 2 years life experience in which they probably were in school for 80% of the 2 years. So if 18 year old have the vote what makes them more able then 16 year olds.


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