16 & 17 year olds to be given the vote

[Whereishenow]

Just seen this announcement on BBC now. Amazing news!!! Now we just need to try and get youngsters out USING those votes.

According to an article I read today lowering the voting age leads to the below.

"Higher turnout among the youngest first-time voters"
"In Austria, Latin America, Scotland, Wales and German federal states that lowered the voting age to 16, my colleagues and I consistently find that, when allowed to vote, 16- and 17-year-olds turn out at higher rates than young people who were enfranchised at age 18."

This is a good thing, we need more young people engaged in politics.

"No major changes to election outcomes"

"A lower voting age is unlikely to change election outcomes. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds make up between 1.5% and less than 5% of the population in constituencies across the UK."

The numbers scare me in terms of I had no idea demographics had changed so much but people don't need to worry about major changes.

"Political parties and a media that engage with younger voters"

Definitely a good thing.

Or perhaps not, given the deletion 🙂

Shame it was deleted, it spoke volumes about the poster.

Wow! The Lord works in mysterious ways!

Shame it was deleted, it spoke volumes about the poster.

Fair point

Haha how fast he is.

Faster than Labour implementing Taxes on children’s Education!

Another manifesto pledge, private school VAT.

16yr old have zero life experience.
You need life experience in order to make an informed decision.
Children will vote with their hearts not their head and I feel will fail to see the bigger picture and how it will affect society as a whole.
All a clever manifesto needs to state is better education, more financial help and job prospects for the younger generation and boom, they'll have millions of new voters.....

Don't we all vote for parties who pledge to deliver what we want? I think it is a good thing that parties might now actually target younger people's needs instead of endlessly chasing the grey vote.

In reality, sadly, I don't think that will actually happen. For example, there are only 1.6 million 16/17 year olds and over 12 million over 65s.

My point is, how can someone who hasn't even had the responsibility of paying for a single bill in their life make an informed vote?

Well they seem to manage it in Scotland and Wales.

Don't most 16 year olds have bank accounts? Manage their school lunches, travel etc.

I didn't realise we had national elections on household bills. I must have missed them all! What a shame.

Indeed. Otherwise known as a Tax on children’s education.

Not for the majority of eduation, it's VAT on private schools.

Indeed. A tax on children’s education. Only Labour.

An optional tax.

Optional tax.

One could also say that about income tax. Earn so little and one doesn’t need to pay at all.. it’s optional, earn more, or don’t.

I expect 16 and 17 years old understand that.

😂😂 You’re so funny (have you seen Jumanjii?)

What has that got to do with voting or VAT?

Why on earth not? I was probably better knowledgeable about each parties policies etc when I was 16 than I am now

There are plenty of adults who have never had this responsibility either and can vote.

And only a bank card to ‘prove’ your identity. Democracy in action…