16 and 17 year old getting the vote.

[Pixxie7]

Is it me or is the idea of 16 and 17 year olds worrying. Where does it lead and are we destroying their childhood. Whilst I appreciate there a few who understand the implications of a vote many do not.

I think lettering 16/17 year olds vote is a bad idea.

Some are informed and interested, but the vast majority are not.
They will have limited experience of life, still living with parents, a small part time job at most.

It's a fantastic thing. At 16 you can move out, get married, have a job, join the army, ridiculous 16 year olds weren't allowed the vote to begin with.
At the last election, statistically it was the younger people who voted to stay and the older voted to leave. So chances are, it'll help. 🇪🇺

You don't have to vote.

I think more of an issue is that EU nationals and others legally resident here can't vote and yet commonwealth citizens can. Where the logic in that?

As for 16 and 17 year olds, I know many who are well informed. I also know many adults who are completely misinformed and believe outright lies designed to manipulate their thinking.

I think 18 is the right age

I was passionate about politics but in a very idealistic way

In recent elections the lowest turn out has been younger voters I do think that will change debating/ranting online and in college/university does not equate to getting yourself to the polling station and putting a X on the paper

Leave home, get married and work full-time now if she chose to if it is believed she is mature enough to do that why shouldn’t she be allowed to vote?

Well you hardly be allowed to be married if you couldn’t leave home so the policy is linked. If you leave home at 16 you better have some decent money behind you as you can’t claim anything and you need to be in work or education.So essentially it’s not really possible despite being legal.
The point is we don’t actually think 16 year olds are that mature.

I think there needs to several years of solid, compulsory political education in schools before introducing the vote to 16 year olds. Yes, there are those who take an interest and are informed, but many who aren't.

Some are informed and interested, but the vast majority are not.

Much the same as the rest of the population then.

I'd actually make voting compulsory like Australia. I think it's our civic duty to take part in deciding how we are governed.

At 16 you can move out, get married, have a job, join the army

In England at least:

Move out - if you can afford to, and you are still meant to be in some form of education

Get married - with parents consent

Have a job - very low minimum wage as you aren't expected to be trying to support yourself, and you are still meant to be in some form of education

Join the army - but not allowed to serve on the front line

You still can't legally buy cigarettes, alcohol, drive, see an 18 film.

There are plenty of adults who vote without knowing or understanding the facts. I think it’s a little patronising to assume that because someone is younger that they aren’t capable of understanding politics.

At 16 and 17 you are still very much under the brainwashed influence of school.

That said, it's not like 18+ year olds have fixed all the countries problems is it.

The sooner we fully divide society and have actual underground cities for workers the better.

Why not? They're forced to go to an adult hospital at 16 (and parents can't stay most of the time), can marry, be taxpayers, leave school, why not let them vote then? Funny how childhood is only prolonged when it suits the government, such as for loan or financial funding and voting, paying less and benefits.

I’m on another thread re who people will vote for and that is clearly older, sometimes much older posters.

There’s been such gems as (paraphrasing my memory isn’t that good!) “I don’t like how the tories have become right wing” “lib dems have been main party here since the 60’s” (neat trick since they weren’t created till the late 80’s) “labour are too left wing” “lib dems are better for women” “lib dems are left wing”

It’s astonishing the lack of knowledge.

So the argument that youngsters aren’t well informed enough is a nonsense as there’s an awful lot of older voters who also aren’t well informed!

“Plus you can leave school and pay taxes/NI at 16

Not anymore, unless you join the military or do an apprenticeship.” Apprentices can pay tax and NI too depending on the pay they’re not all low paid, 16 year olds can still leave school at 16 if it’s to go into a job of 20 hours or more

I’m 47 years old and don’t pay income tax should I not be allowed to vote?

In terms of brexit I thought what was really appalling was the expats and eu immigrants to UK that were prevented from voting, arguably affects them more than most!

At 16,a hell of a lot of teenagers are immature. I think 18 is the right age.

I would add,that by immature,I don't mean stupid or childish,I mean that they don't have enough knowledge or wisdom to make an informed decision such as who to vote for in a general election.

"lib dems have been main party here since the 60’s” (neat trick since they weren’t created till the late 80’s)

Liberalism had been around since the late 17th century, so although lib dems are only 31 years old, the ideology and parties running with it is a lot older, so although that poster isnt right, they may not be wrong either.

No. I have a 17 year old and he openly says he doesn’t want to vote and wouldn’t know who to vote for. We’ve always spoken politics with him, but as he Says, he does not have the knowledge to do it with the way things are. If we want 16 year olds to vote, what about my 14 year old? She likes politics and it will affect her future too right? I think it has got silly.

The SNP, because at 16 you can have a very starry eyed view of independence, Want them to vote as it raises the chances of them getting in and winning ANOTHER independence vote. Young people are usually left wing - money for the poor sounds the best idea ever when you aren't the ones paying the taxes.
Some say it is their future so they should be able to vote, following that premise over 80s shouldn't be allowed to vote as most won't see the result.

I think 18 is right but there ought to be a bigger push to get 16 and 17 year olds on the electoral roll so they are on there ready for their 18th birthday. It is amazing how many households don't know you can register children once they are 16.

I don't think expats should be allowed to vote- surely there are hundreds of thousands of U.K. expats all over the world. Many have no interest in returning so it seems risky to give them a vote.

I teach that age group. They are really switched on politically. I think they should have the vote as it's unfair that 16yr olds can vote in Wales and Scotland but not England

Some 16 year olds have only just started y11 at school. It seems too young to me.

Ridiculous

I think it is a terrible idea. I know very few children this age who are mature enough to make sensible decisions.
In fact I think raising it to 21 would be a better idea..