to think that lowering the voting age to 16 is a stupid idea?

[CrystalTipsandAlista1r]

in fact, I'd rather it was raised to 25.

If you pay taxes from 16 why shouldn't you be able to have a say in who runs Government at 16?

At 16 I was working full-time, paying tax, paying for the dentist and prescriptions etc and I was really interested in politics and think I should've been able to vote. But also, I had friends the same age in college who were really immature and I wouldn't want to be allowed to vote

I think 16 year olds should be able to vote, but those who have retired shouldn’t.

So anyone over the age of 65 shouldn’t be allowed. Hardly any of them have to live long term with the results of their decisions.

In fact, children over 7 should be allowed to vote... they’re reaping what we sow, so the earlier they have a voice the better.

I think 16 is too young to vote. Most 16 year olds fresh out of education will have a political opinion but I don't believe those opinions are 100% their own. I think a young person needs to experience a world outside of the influence school for a couple of years before their political views can genuinly be classed as their own.

Raininsummer -- I actually think the fact that your students don't think they're mature enough to vote is a sign of maturity in itself. If they're that self aware they could easily become politically aware if interested.
In contrast I had similar discussions with my 10-11 year old classes around election times and they all thought they should get a vote, never mind 16 year olds!

I would support lowering the limit to 16 I think. It makes more sense than letting 86 year olds who who won't be much affected by the outcome vote.

They will be able to vote but not have an intimate piercing. Either 16 is the new adult or it isn't.

It should be 18. Across the board.

I don't think they have the life experience or maturity.

I don't think that magically changes at 18.

I have an 18 and a 16 year old, there isn't a great deal of different in their life experience.

how many appreciate the irony of some posters on here using the same arguments against 16 year olds voting as those trotted out in 1912 against women's suffrage?

Using age as a criteria for voting always means some people with well thought out opinions will be disqualified and others with uninformed opinions will be eligible. But there isn't a better system that is easy to implement. I would agree that 16 and 17 year olds have a large cohort with opinions based on idealism due to lack of experience of reality and i don't think they should be able to vote.

I would prefer to see compulsory voting introduced so that political parties have to think about everyone and not just the people who they think will turn out.

I don’t understand why people are linking tax paying to voting. Firstly, 16 isn’t when you start paying tax and secondly it would be a very dangerous precedent to link paying into the state with the right to vote.

Notwithstanding, I’m in favour I think.

We cannot pass judgement on how a person decides to vote, to say that their age is a reason to deny them so. If they are old enough to pay tax and are old enough by law to have children then they should be able to vote.

I can see both sides, plenty of 16 year olds are more informed and understanding of politics than some people I know in their 30's, 40's etc. Equally well I don't think I would have been mature enough at that age to vote but to fair I think I would have realised that and not turned up to vote. Just because you give a 16 year old the right to vote doesn't mean they will use it.

To be honest I think the biggest issue with voting is that it's near in impossible to get clear information that hasn't been warped by the media.

I don’t understand why people are linking tax paying to voting. Firstly, 16 isn’t when you start paying tax and secondly it would be a very dangerous precedent to link paying into the state with the right to vote.

Ever heard of of the American Revolution?

If they are old enough to pay tax and are old enough by law to have children then they should be able to vote.

There isn’t a law about what age you may have children. So this would make voting age dependant on puberty I guess?

Yes I’ve heard of the American revolution.

Yes I’ve heard of the American revolution.

So you'll be familiar with the concept of taxation without representation is tyranny ?

I disagree OP.

I think most 16 year olds have pretty switched on ideas.
My 17 yo was able to vote in Scotland.
The youngest that lives with me is 17, the oldest is 84.

The youngest would like to see more women in positions of power, cut back dependence on fossil fuel and would like to see wealth shared more fairly.

The 84 year old admires Donald Trump, would like to see the death penalty brought back and thinks homosexuals are perverts.

I know who I would prefer to vote.

taxation without representation is tyranny

Sure but I don’t understand how it applies to this argument. I’m not aware of any difference between how a 14 year old (for example) and a 16 year old are taxed.

It's highly unlikely that a 14 year old will be paying income tax. If you are talking about VAT, then I think it's an unfair tax.

Most 16 year olds fresh out of education will have a political opinion but I don't believe those opinions are 100% their own.

I'd hazard a guess that this applies equally to a good proportion of legal adults. Whose vote should we take away, then? The stupid? The impressionable? The apathetic?

If not, why not?

I think that childhood is finishing later, and that the voting age shouldn't be lowered as everything else is unchanging or moving the other way.

Dc rarely leave home at 16, marriage at 16 is much less common, and the participation age for education has been raised.

I think there was a greater case for lowering voting age when independent life/work at 16 was unremarkable, and now that's changed to a higher age it doesn't seem justifiable.

AllPowerfulLizardPerson The same could be said for most 18 year olds?

yabu. If you can leave school at 16 and get a job, you should be able to vote.

The school leaving age - or age of participation - is 18 in England.

Frankly I don't want any wet behind the ears Momentum brainwashed wanna be Che Guevara making decisions affecting my life, thanks very much.