Voting age may be reduced to 16 apparently. Good idea?

[Nanny0gg]

As it says in the title. Labour still seems keen on this idea. Personally I think it's bonkers - I look at my DGC and they are just not old enough yet.

AIBU?

Worth bearing in mind a vote is worthless though. So not much fretting to do.

So, variable… like most adults then?

So they can get married, join the army and have sex but not vote?

@QueenOfHiraeth "16 year olds are very variable, I had one who would have enjoyed voting, investigating and decision making (not to mention arguing about it!) but had another one who would have had no clue and, I suspect, would vote based on very spurious reasons."

So, just like people, then!

To be fair, if they are getting married, joining the army and having sex, they probably haven't got time to vote.

@Meadowfinch

He may be onto something there 😂😂😂😂😂

16 year olds are not experienced enough to vote

(

Very few of them do pay tax.

& please stop SHOUTING

Any 16 year old earning enough to put themself through private school must be pretty astute!

@Summertimer

They don't need a provisional, they can simply apply for voter ID

@bozzabollix

they might sign up, but they won't be sent on Active Duty at 16. No risk of dying for our country. Thank Fuck

It's this. Child safeguarding is going to be in a very sorry state if these kinds of ideas end up on the statue books.

@TheFairyCaravan

on what basis would a CHILD make that decision?

it was difficult for adults to fully understand the consequences, how do you really expect children to have made a knowledgable decision?

benefit claimants do pay tax, but they are paid net so might not understand that they are in fact tax payers.

How about no representation without taxation?

People who don't contribute not getting a vote..

@CurlewKate

16 year olds are people!

just young ones.

Most 16 year olds won't be interested so won't vote anyway. The 16 year olds who will vote are the ones interested in politics and probably know more than most adults. So I'm all for it.
I'm more concerned about my older relatives who get all their information from the daily mail...

Not in favour. We agreed up to 18 years they need to be in education or training. Partly because we now know brains take lot longer to develop. There's another thread somewhere on here where a lot of posters are querying when do young people become critical thinkers? It's not at 16 before they've even got their GCSEs.

@AmelieTaylor "16 year olds are people!"

That was rather my point!

I work with yr11. Some of them can't even tell the time on an analogue clock.
I don't think the majority have enough life experience or critical thinking skills to vote. But that's just my opinion.

If they lower the age you can vote to age 16 will the age you can become an MP have to change too? Currently that is 18. Would we be okay with 16 year old MPs too?

Not likely they'd be elected of course but it's always a possibility.

Actually, in Scotland and Wales, young people can vote at 16 now. Scotland also allowed 16 plus to vote in the Brexit vote. Pity the rest of the U.K. didn't allow it, too.

I know plenty of midlife and older people who have the maddest reasons for voting how they do.

You have only got to look at the brick result to know that.

We will be just catching up with the other home nations

Brick meaning Brexit 🙄 at me

I used to think it was a bad idea because 16 year olds don't really have a clue about things like this. Then we had Brexit and I realised that many older people don't either. And those that voted for Brexit have well and truly shafted the younger generation because of their own racist views. So yes, 16 year olds should be able to vote.

I'm at the idea of somehow when you're older than 16 you suddenly know what to think/what you're talking about.

You only have to read a handful of threads here about politics to realise just how ignorant many, many posters are. Yet they're allowed to vote.