Why would anyone think 16 year-olds should be allowed to vote?

[MsAmerica]

Be honest - think back to when you were 16. Did you have an understanding of a broad range of issues? Did you pay serious attention to national news? Okay, even many adults may lapse on the score, but still, it seems crazy to me.

In the U.S., voting age had been 21 and the only reason it was lowered to 18 was that teens were being drafted to fight in Vietnam, and it was felt as unfair for them to have no say.

Yes, they should be allowed to vote. There will be a small number of tax payers amongst them and the maxim “no taxation without representation” should be adhered to. They are also amongst those most impacted by big political decisions and need to have a say. My bigoted mother voted for Brexit when it was at a time in her life that it had no impact on her at all, some 17 year olds were within a whisper of their 18 birthday and couldn’t vote and yet the impact on them has been huge. I was very interested in politics in my teenage years and was driving people to vote when I was 17 but couldn’t vote myself.

And you would be happy if they then voted Reform or Andrew Tate?

We don't retract the vote based on who people vote for do we?

Agree it’s pointless - because you don’t seem to grasp it has no impact !

you keep saying they have to do XYZ but ignore the fact that RPA may say that but it doesn’t mean in reality that’s what happens.

@Needmorelego no they aren’t breaking any law although the 17 year old has the right to time off to study if they don’t have maths and English

I just think you're stretching it a bit. What are the basis of conservatism (I mean real conservatism) and what is the basis of socialism? The main differences? How they approach taxation and their view of wealth? The stuff that you should know in order to decide how to vote. Or have some idea. This is not something you learn when looking at the Nazis in GCSE.

I'm not sure what you mean by "gotcha response"?

No we don't but we also up until now didn't let children vote. It's quite ironic that it's mainly people on the left who champion this policy as rhet think it will increase the share of overall vote for the left. They never consider those children could vote for right wing parties.

It's quite ironic that it's mainly people on the left who champion this policy as rhet think it will increase the share of overall vote for the left. They never consider those children could vote for right wing parties.

What have you based that on?
If young people want to vote right wing that is not imo a reason to deprive them of a vote.

Younger people who vote will see more of the consequences of said vote unlike some older people.

I don't care how they vote, I am not comfortable giving the vote to children

I feel sick when I think of how my DC have been denied to opportunity to live, work and study anywhere in the EU- privileges that I took full advantage of myself when I was young- without having any say in the matter.

Exercising my right to free movement in my early 20s changed the course of my life quite dramatically. I wouldn't be the person I am, and my children wouldn't exist at all, without it.

They should definitely have a say in shaping their future. Brexit killed so many opportunities for them and was mainly decided by people who won't live to see the long term consequences.

Yes well I'm not comfortable with the grey vote having such a disproportionate impact.

Why do you think we study history? Do you think it’s a series of black and white facts hermetically sealed off and irrelevant to today? Are you familiar with the concept that learning about one topic builds critical thinking skills that can be applied to other situations?

At no point was I suggesting that GCSE history is a literal step-by-step guide to voting in a modern British election. How absurd.

That's a generalisation. I'm well aware that 16 year olds aren't necessarily going to vote Labour and that Reform is currently polling well among this age group.

I really think it would be no bad thing for the mainstream parties to see 16 year olds as a group of people who have the potential to get them fired at the next election, and take their needs into account more than they have done in recent years.

I am not comfortable giving the vote to children

I can understand people are uncomfortable with it but I am also uncomfortable with the fact young people have been ignored for years. We have an ageing population but young people are the future.

But they are legal adults......
If you lower voting age then you need to lower legal age of being an adult otherwise why stop at 16, let's lower voting age to 12! A 16 Yr old can vote yet some won't have left school, none can buy property and they still need parent permission to travel abroad. It just doesn't make sense

Yes it is terrible that people with more life experience and who can actually be bothered to vote have a say.

And their parents can vote in a way they think will benefit their children if they would like to.

I don't understand why you think the age for all these things needs to be the same.

We don't have one age across the board for having sex, getting married, learning to drive, getting a tattoo, buying property or voting. We have different ages for these things based on the perceived level of risk.

Driving, getting a tattoo, drinking alcohol, travelling abroad and making big financial investments are all objectively more dangerous activities than having a small say in who the next government is going to be.

Is the travelling abroad thing even true? I took my first unaccompanied flight at the age of 14. Absolutely no questions were asked.

So a 50 year old working taxpayer and their 17 year old almost adult child who will be 22 when the next election comes round get to share one vote between them but a 70 year old Brexit voter who retired to France, pulling the ladder up after them and has no stake in the future of the country beyond wanting to come back for NHS treatment whenever they feel like it gets a full vote to themselves?

Because legally at 16 they are still children and many will still be at school. Why stop at 16? Lower it to 12 if age limits are due to risk.

I don't understand why you think the age for all these things needs to be the same.

Yep, where has this narrative come from? We already have inconsistencies around age.

A 12 year old will not be an adult at any point during the next parliament. A 16 year old will be an adult for most of it.

I'm not actually ideologically opposed to lowering it further, but it's probably sensible to go to 16 and see what happens.

And their parents can vote in a way they think will benefit their children if they would like to

unfortunately many parents are selfish.

Yes it is terrible that people with more life experience and who can actually be bothered to vote have a say

Clearly life experience hasn't led to enlightenment...

My Dad worked all his life, paid his taxes etc etc.
He pays attention to the news.
At what age would you remove his vote?

Or would you only remove it if he votes 'wrong'?