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.

Oh my Gooooodddddd. I read you write this about 150 times yesterday. Have you just learnt a new word?!

I am a secondary school teacher of 20 years standing and I can honestly say with my hand on my heart that I trust far more 16 and 17 year olds to carefully consider the options and vote based on nuance and political understanding many of the older adults I know. And I don’t work with creamed-off grammar school kids, far from it in fact. I think that most people working with young people would agree that this isn’t a bad thing.

How's that any different to the adults who are voting?

I'd say the UK has suffered an alarming rate of peoples of decrising IQ, very low work ethics, an couldn't even say the difference between leaving the EU and leaving the continent of Europe.

At first I thought no but thinking logically I think yes they should.
My adults DCs could not vote in the EU vote yet they have to live with the consequences. 40% of those who voted to leave the EU are now dead. Let that sink in. They decided the future of this present working generation. They prevented them from having the benefits which they had. Now they are dead, and don’t have to live with the consequences of their actions. So yes, they should be able to vote. I was also very politically aware at 16.

Yes 16year olds should vote. They should also be responsible in court/police for crimes at this age as well.

So because some aren’t “ready” (whatever that might mean to different people) others should not be allowed? There are plenty of men and women over the age of voting I feel don’t possess the intellectual ability to truly understand what it is they are voting for, or their impact on doing so. We don’t take a test to check if we are “ready” at 18. My answer is that at 16, I and many of my cohort were politically educated and interested. We could have made a difference to the country had we been allowed to vote.
The reality is, many 16yr olds who aren’t interested in politics won’t vote. They won’t be bothered to get photo ID and attend a polling centre if they aren’t interested. If they are motivated enough to do so, we should let them as it’s more than a large percentage of the adult population can be bothered to do.

I was reading my parents’ newspapers at the age of 9. I am in my fifties now and I can still remember reading about a new law that would criminalise rape in marriage. There was a lot of talk back then about conjugal rights. One of the letters that was printed asked “how can a man rape his own wife?”. Even as a child, I felt the writer’s opinion was wrong.

In the interviews I saw (might have been local news) all the children (which they still are legally) they asked said ‘nope, not a good idea’ and none of them said they would bother voting of they were allowed to.

For reasons that aren't particularly articulate I don't think they should. Too many parents treat their 16 years as children, too many 16 year olds behave like children, 16 year olds don't have the maturity to understand the nuances of politics for assorted reasons. I'm not convinced many of today's teens are being taught that actions have consequences and that they impact on real people and real people's lives.

Then again the same could be said of many of the 18+ population. Perhaps 16 year olds might call out politicians of all flavours to be more transparent about their budgets and policies.

My 11 year old listens to the news on the radio each day, and reads the bbc news app quite often.

A lot of adults don’t listen to, or read, the news. There are a few on here who are quite proud of it, yet they are still allowed to vote?

I certainly took a massive interest in politics at 16. So did my DDs.

the vast majority of people 18+ don’t pay much attention to politics, not beyond Facebook and the headlines.

So what’s your point OP? Should people have to take a quiz before getting a vote?

I mean, that's the same for all ages of the population.

16 year olds should be allowed to vote

Because it was mainly older people who voted for Brexit

And what an absolute cock up that was

The vote should be taken away from older people so situations like that do not occur again

It's not a new idea though, lowering the age was being discussed before I was 16 and there was an actual vote on a Bill in 2008 which didn't succeed. At 16 you can join the army and pay tax, why shouldn't you be able to vote? Not all 16 year old are idiots with no knowledge of current events, just like not all over 18s are. And lots of them won't vote, again, like lots of over 18s.

The voting age was lowered to 18 in 1969, in 1929 women could vote at 21, rather than being over 30 and needing to own property. Going backwards and raising the age would be ridiculous. Imreally glad my dc will be able to have a say in the country they will live in at 16.

No that is not my argument, please don't mis-represent.

My argument is that an insufficient proportion of 16/17 yos are informed / have enough experience of life so therefore none of them should have the right to vote.
Whereas by 18 they are either heading off to university or heading off to full time work and either way will have to be coming to grips with adult life.

ODFOD. I wrote it once yesterday 🙄 Are you always that rude?

They are a part of society, so there is no reason for them not to.

ultimately you could argue to exempt the very old (no meaningful stake left), the stupid, the ill educated, those emigrating etc etc.

You have to believe in the wisdom of crowds and younger voters will add a small layer with another perspective.

3 year olds are a part of society, let's give them the vote 🙄

I don’t necessarily have a strong view either way but I don’t think it makes sense that you can vote but not buy alcohol or get a tattoo.

And although it’s badger at getting more youngsters interested in politics and voting I think the higher priority would have been gator get those 18-24 years olds who already have the vote but just don’t bother.

It's ridiculous. 16 year olds aren't adult. They can't gamble, be named in court, own property, work full time, go to war. Labour are just gerrymandering to try and shoot Reform's fox. I suspect this may backfire. I don't think children think the same way that the MPs did at that age.... Labour just think they do.

A 3 year old is not a contributing member of society.

A 16 year old can be, and I strongly believe in no taxation without representation.

Exactly. Same thing applies to any child under the age of 18.

Except by law they should be in education/training until they are 18, cos they are still children.

I'm nearly 40 and I'd rather regret my vote than regret getting a tattoo or regret the consequences of getting blind drunk.

And? Do you understand that they will all be still paying tax?

They would become adults and potentially taxpayers during the term of the government they would be electing though.

The same is actually true of 14 and 15 year olds.