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.

When I was 16, I was involved in the Green Party, spoke at my city council meeting on green issues, and campaigned for recycling facilities. I was furious I couldn’t vote and that people around me who cared less didn’t bother.
16 year olds are just the same as other parts of the population - some care and know about politics and some don’t.

Ok so no vote for 16-17 year olds because they are too racist?

Taught by their parents rather than school text books I assume

Dickens couldn't get enough money ....

T'internet one would assume. Who knows.

51% of Jewish teachers though. That's awful!

The NF used to prowl around outside our school.

I don't think it's the NF we need to worry about....

Yes it is but thats not a valid reason to keep the voting age at 18, racism of all forms is on the rise, led by ring wing parties like Farage/Reform and many of their supporters.

Should be remembered Farage was a Nazi supporter in his youth, based on his Brexit campaign, little has changed, just learnt to keep it hidden... for now.

Across Europe, right wing & antisemitism is starting to become widespread, yet the voting age is 18... Austria aside.

Voting age and antisemitism are two separate issues.

And parents have no influence?

But then again, you said that 16 year olds have no knowledge of what is happening in society.

I will happily draw a line from the NF to Reform. Stopping off at BNP Central, Britain First Circus and UKIP valley, changing at Brexit Party South.

I fed that into my "AI" bot of choice and pleasingly :

🗺️ Optional Line Map Description:
Welcome to the Far-Right Line —
Serving all stations between barely-veiled racism and mainstream populist rebranding.

• NF Terminus – Starts with overt fascism.
• BNP Central – Hardline ethno-nationalism in a cheaper suit.
• Britain First Circus – Loud, theatrical, and mostly on Facebook Live.
• UKIP Valley – Where xenophobia got a makeover and a pint.
• Change at Brexit Party South – Flashy rebrand, same old route.
• Final stop: Reform UK – Now arriving on Platform “We’re just asking questions.”

This kind of framing cuts deep because it calls out the continuity beneath the cosmetic changes, and the shared ideological thread that’s been repackaged for different decades. Would you like this turned into an actual visual map or infographic? It’d make a killer post.

I have no idea why our teenagers are raging anti semites. My own children aren't. It's awful. I assume you agree? Hard to tell.

I said 16 year olds who mostly live at home and are not financially supporting themselves have no real knowledge of the reality of adult life. I stand by that. Being an independent adult is hard.

Madness. Sorry. The NF aren't attacking or blowing little girls up.

My experience with 16 year olds is that they are not raging anti semites.

Well luckily I didn't say they were then. Well spotted !

To avoid you being misquoted, are you saying that an 18yo + living home, not working/living independently shouldn't vote either?

Vast majority of teenagers are NOT raging antisemites, a ridiculous thing to say, and based on zero evidence.

I agree with you though. It is an easier option to blame to NF or Reform for anti semetism in schools etc. Seems so very obvious they are the issue.....

According to the Telegraph article,

The rise in the abuse is being fuelled by “dangerous” rhetoric from the far-Right and misinformation on social media,

We should be worried about the NF

Over 51% of Jewish teachers in schools are reporting anti semitic abuse. That's a large proportion, no?

No. I'm happy with the franchise as is. Got to have a cut off point somewhere and 18 is legal adulthood.

No. The Telegraph stated that the union said it was far right. Which is (obviously) disputed. We all know why there's been a rise in anti semetism as the timing is round about October 2023.

Is being tight not wanting to pay tax that goes toward the poor. Is one persons freed the same as another's wealth creation? The does that scripts has moral responsibility toward the health of tiny time being rich is ultimately one from the left side of politics. I agree scripts is a tight bastard but there is a kind of bias in portraying wealthy people as being morally corrupt with out balance (similarly with an inspector calls).

This goes back to SM and where younger people get information from. People imagining their childhood and watching the news, it’s moved on.

It’ll be a mix of Gaza related SM content and other. Which is why the attraction will be more to Greens / Corbyn’s new party or Reform, not Labour as they want.

Ah well, just ignore the far right then

Yes a union will say that but there’s obviously an increase in content influencing behaviour since October 7th.

I was saying "plus ça change".

You get to a certain point where you realise that asking questions like "why is there racism around" leads to the same answer, as would "why is mould around". In both cases it's because the conditions are just right to allow them to spread. Now you can waste your time with bleach and "products" to remove the mould and then wonder why it keeps sliming back. Or you could fix the ventilation let in some fresh air, sunlight and see it disappear.

Wars and revolutions tend to be very good at letting fresh air - literally - blast through society.

Exactly. I live in a small, very right wing white town in Suffolk. Immediately after the Brexit referendum, my DC (not British) were told to 'fuck off back where you were born'. (My youngest had the nous to say 'What, Cambridge?'). Those kids got that from their parents.

So if 16 year olds in schools are Antisemitic, that is because they're getting it from their parents. It's not springing up spontaneously in that generation. Even if they're getting it on line, that content will have been put there by voting age adults for the most part.

Also 😂at left wing literature curriculum. Priestley? Sure, and that will be discussed in class as a theme. But A Christmas Carol is not left wing. Nor are Macbeth or any of the other Shakespeares, and in my local school a lot of the students did Animal Farm instead of An Inspector Calls, which calls out the evils of communism. So you can stuff your left wing teachers trope.

It’s a very cynical move from Labour and it’s a bit insulting to expect the electorate to believe it’s anything but gerrymandering. I’d watch very closely what happens with education over the next few years, I’m fully expecting something along the line of mandatory ‘equality of outcome politics’ to be introduced at state secondary schools.