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.

Talking about which age groups can be bothered to vote is an insane argument in the context of a discussion about whether a group which doesn't currently have the right to vote should be given it.

You don't know whether a 16 year old would bother to vote or not because they've never been given the opportunity.

The evidence in Scotland would suggest that giving people the right to vote earlier results in more young people being bothered to vote.

I disagree with most Scottish policy decisions that have been implemented in recent years but this appears to have been a good one.

It is a myth that age brings wisdom.

I think it’s a great idea.

Let’s not pretend that all adults make informed decisions when they vote. Look at Brexit!

I didn’t go to a grammar school. I went to a fairly normal state school and was really interested in politics, as were a lot of friends. The first year we could vote was the conservative/libdem coalition which landed loads of friends (not me - I did a healthcare course) with unexpected huge increases in uni fees. I think it’s really important to engage young people in politics, not write them off as not smart enough. It should be part of the curriculum and a push for it in the same way we push STEM subjects because it would benefit society.

I wouldn't remove his right to vote.

But I do support extending it to almost-adults who have more of a stake in the future of the country to help balance things out a bit.

If you don't give young people a voice and every mainstream political party is focused on winning the votes of older people, it is inevitably older generations who benefit at the expense of the young, and eventually the young get fed up and you end up with a revolution.

If they can pay tax at 16, they should be able to vote.

Do you have a plan for all the adults who aren’t politically literate yet vote?

Unfortunately studying history at GCSE doesn’t provide critical thinking skills. It’s all about being taught to pass an exam. My DDs didn’t get near WW2 for GCSE.

Economics is the most useful because there is a much better link to what you actually learn and our economy. Every single 16 year old thinks university fees are too high, there should be homes for everyone and they want a green society. They pay no tax and usually have no idea about where government money comes from or what the impact is when spending far outstrips government income. Most have no fiscal understanding at all. And where do you put all those new homes? Who subsidises universities if fees are halved? Children's political thoughts are often one dimensional because they have never fully engaged in the whole picture, which is understandable. We are now giving them representation without taxation. They pay for nothing at 16 but are now given a vote - I have my doubts about this.

On Radio 5 this morning a 6th form student said she didn’t want to be taught about voting by teachers as they were all politically biased. This was in Mansfield. How perceptive! So who can they rely on? My preferred method would be to keep it at 18 but engage far more dc by compulsory lessons and unbiased education in y12/college. An agreed syllabus with no bias in it. Essential basic facts for dc to build upon. Before GCSEs it’s virtually impossible. Young people don’t vote much either and we do need more engagement from them but they need reliable information and not sound bites. They might even need to know their vote matters and with FPTP of course, for millions, it doesn’t.

No taxation without representation.

Although that could mean there should be a raise in the age of being taxed. I don't think 16 year olds are inherently more or less sensible than 18 year olds or many MANY older people....we don't have a maturity/knowledge test for voting. We have an age. And that age could be anything really. But as soon as you have other laws saying we can do "adult" things at 16 then really we shouldn't stop those people voting.

The problem is that there is no consistent point of adulthood/maturity in UK laws (a mix of 16, 17,18 and 21) And none of them match what we know now about brain development (brain maturity happens much later in mid 20s). Perhaps everything should become 25?! Voting, marriage, alcohol, smoking, army.....

I just would have voted for whom my parents voted for at that age.

I don't think 16 year olds should vote. They are not adults.

Having said that, I don't trust plenty of adults to vote responsibly either. I know people who voted for Brexit despite wanting to remain "to stick a finger up at the government - they'll never leave the EU anyway". Idiots.

It would be, I imagine a lot of teenagers are more towards the left than the right - it will do wonders for labours figures one imagines.

pensioners for conservatives, teenagers for labour. A huge sweeping generalisation I know but would be interesting to see if that’s borne out in the figures.

Waiting until college age completely cuts out a whole proportion of young adults who go straight into apprenticeships, further perpetuating this narrative that more working class people aren’t smart enough to have a meaningful vote. They should learn in school where all young adults are mandated to be, giving equal opportunities to political knowledge despite socioeconomic status/position.

University tuition fees are too high though. Every other country in Europe manages to provide affordable higher education.

The 2010 tuition fees policy was an absolute cluster fuck of a decision which is just storing up years of pain for the future taxpayer at some point in the 2040s/50s when at least half the loans that were taken out in the 2010s and have been accruing interest at a commercial loan rate ever since have to be written off.

Nobody is talking about this aspect of the policy. We hear an awful lot of "it's OK, if you don't earn enough to pay it all off you won't have to" and very little discussion about who is going to pay it off instead. The taxpayer.

In raising tuition fees the way they did, the government effectively created billions of pounds of fake money which has created real debt which will have to be paid off using real people's taxes.

But the people behind the decision don't care. Most of them will be dead by then. Even those in power today will most likely be retired when the chickens come home to roost.

the maxim “no taxation without representation” should be adhered to.

So why should that not apply to people who are not UK citizens but pay tax (maybe millions, although I admit that is unlikely 😡) here ?

Some 16 year olds will make sure they are well informed to vote and others will not have a clue. But honestly I think there are some 25 year olds who are exactly the same.

My main concern is how political parties will target them via social media. But this happens just as easily with 18 year olds.

Maybe the government should introduce an hour of politicals a week to the curriculum from year 9 so that these children have a base level of information before they leave school?

On a personal level my 15 year old definitely knows more about politics and who she would vote for; my husbands in his 40s - not a clue.

My main concern is how political parties will target them via social media. But this happens just as easily with 18 year olds.

Sadly, you are going to need policies that have a slightly wider appeal.

Of course they should.

Many adults only vote on party that their families voted. Some others are just brainwashed (in my opinion) by gutter press. 16 year olds political views will be as valid as older adults.

'as valid as older adults'.
But 16yos are children as defined by most laws.
Why 16yos and not 13yos?

But 16yos are children as defined by most laws.

Laws are just made up things though. They can be changed.

I would lower it to 16 for referendums, anything that affects the country long term. As people have said, young people have to live with Brexit, they would also have to live with any change to abortion laws or whatever.

Not so fussed about lowering the general voting age.
Would be more supportive of somehow educating people and getting them to turn out to vote.

Not everything has to be a teachable moment. Particularly as ill get an eyeroll if I say all that 🤣

Not everything, but this seems like a pretty good opportunity for one, doesn't it?

Even if you use it to explain to your son why you decided to spoil your ballot rather than voting for a party or not voting at all. (I also spoiled my ballot at the last election.)

Which is why I clearly said living on a state pension

I’m on the fence. I can’t see why many of these arguments don’t also apply to 18 year olds. I think lots of adults get confused about what they’re actually voting for and just look at sound bites, or take untrue statements from politicians/media as fact. I think cracking down on this practice would serve voters of all ages. There’s no accountability for lies.

There's as many wise men in the forest as there are fools in the castle.

Politically engaged and intelligent young people are pretty much at the same ratio between 16-18 as politically engaged and intelligent people in the rest of the population. The impression of teenagers on here is really sad and misinformed. I run a sixth form and work with a wide range of 16-18 year olds and I am happy that they get to be part of our democracy.