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.

I'm late fifties. Some my age have no idea of economics or politics, they openly admit. My dm is completely away with the fairies. Yet they're deciding the fate of the young. Let them vote for their own future.

Yet they are treated as children when they commit a crime, go to youth offenders unit, not an adult prison, and their names aren’t released.

Because only people with A levels deserve the vote. Right.

If they can have sex at 16 they should be able to vote.

In Scotland you can vote at 16 though

This, of course.

I don’t think 16yos should have the vote. If you look across the world, there are a tiny handful that allow voting at 16/17, but the vast majority are 18, with some higher - even up to 25. But the vast majority, including almost all big and powerful/developed countries are 18. There is no reason for us to change to 16 apart form the obvious fact that the young are more likely to be socialist and it’s just manipulation of a voting outcome. Starmer says it’s about modernisation and bringing it into line with Wales - errr - no - it’s again putting us well out of line with the vast majority of the world. So that his party can get votes. I mean saying they are old enough to pay in so they should vote - well again that’s utter shit - do we withdraw the vote from low income pensioners who don’t pay in then? Do we withdraw the vote from people who aren’t net contributors? No. Come the fuck on. Only Adults vote, until Starmer wants to manipulate the result. Shameful.

The logic being what exactly? Sex is a choice regarding your own body. Voting is an important decision for society. So I don’t think these things have anything to do with eachother.

I've always been interested in politics.

Like many teens, I was happy to stand for a cause I believed in.

Went veggie, CND & poll tax demos - all of the cliches of the time.

My 12 year old son listens to political podcasts and has asked for tickets to The Rest is Politics Live for Christmas. He IS better informed than many adults I know.

Yes, some 16 year olds won't be interested but millions of adults don't vote, currently.

If we can trust 16 year olds to have sex, have kids, marry and pay taxes, we can trust them to have a say in their own futures via the voting booth.

Adult prisons tend to be for those 21 and over. There is a separate ‘young adult’ tier to the prison system.

I say give them a vote. The generation above mine got university for free. They then pulled the ladder up behind them and my generation had to pay ever increasing fees. I remember being really pissed off I’d not had a say in decisions that cost me thousands of pounds yet cost many of the people voting bugger all.

Well yes, legally if they can have sex, and therefore have children of their own at 16, they should be able to vote for themselves and in the interests of the children they have just created.
However, that doesn’t actually mean I think doing any of those things are sensible at 16.
There are so many different things that have arbitrary ages attached to them. It should be one age for everything. And that should probably be 18.

I think its a good thing. DS will likely be 17 at the next election so will be able to vote. Without the change he might not vote in a general election until age 22. I think its good to engage young people in politics when they are at school or uni.

We can’t trust 16yos to buy alcohol or drive or book an air bnb or all sorts of things though. The world in general allows adults to vote, aged 18.

My 15 yr old son is intelligent, interested in current affairs, has a strong sense of social justice and cares about the environment. He'd be able to vote in the next election anyway, but I'd be happy for him to vote tomorrow if needed.

The younger generation tend to hold more liberal views. Reform are sexist, racist and homophobic and are gaining a high following….hmmm coincidence?

So why can’t they drive, buy alcohol or go to adult prisons?

But you can trust a 16 year old to die for your country? You have some seriously screwed up values if you trust them to die, but not to have a beer or vote.

I also think, as a wider point, that this issue is an absolute misuse of the prime minister’s time, given how utterly fucked up this country is. He’s taking time to get out of step with the world in general, just to get more votes for his party. He needs to wake up and fix the shit going on in this country NOW. Not try to manipulate his way to more votes in 4 years.

But you can trust a 16 year old to die for your country?

As a pp said, 16yos are not deployed.

Well personally I don’t think we should have 16yos in combat.

They can join the Army at 16 - but they don't actually get sent to fight until 18.

They pay tax, they get a vote.

We don't.
No under 18s are sent off to war.

I think it's a great move. Young people are the future. Unfortunately, based on mock elections at two schools I know of, it might shoehorn Reform in.

A lot of adults aren't mature or well or widely informed enough either by these standards, but they still get a vote. I reckon the proportion of educated, well informed 16 year olds is probably around the same as the proportion of well informed politically literate adults.

I find it an interesting concept and totally blurs the lines of adulthood. This is NOT NECESSARILY a good thing. (see below)
I believe there needs to be some new education in schools about the responsibility of voting, and the necessity of registering your voice.
As a teenager in the 80s I was very politically engaged - possibly because we had Thatcher as a central foe (I know not for all but give me a panel of 50 year olds and there will be more against than for).

We need to decide are 16 year olds adults or children? Yes, they can enrol in the army, have babies etc. They cannot drive, nor drink... but now they can vote.