Votes at 16

By jessica seldon
March 4th 2010, 6:38pm

"Young people are more informed than ever"

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced his support for votes for 16 year olds. His proposal to lower the voting age was included in a package of electoral reforms in the run up to the General Election.

Brown thinks the change could restore trust in the political system after the expenses scandal. He says that young people today are "more knowledgeable, more able to find out what is going on, and more informed".

16 year olds can work in full-time employment, pay taxes, get married and have children and join the army, but do not have the vote. The voting age in Britain has been eighteen since 1969. The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey have reduced their voting ages to 16 due to pressure from the Votes at 16 campaign, but the United Kingdom has yet to follow suit.

The Co-operative Group and the UK Youth Parliament have joined the Votes at 16 coalition in calling for the voting age to be lowered. It's believed the change will energise young people to better engage in society, and help them understand the importance of politics in their everyday lives. Find more about the Youth Parliament campaign here.

Opposition to votes at 16

But for many people, the low turnout at election time of 18 to 25 year olds suggests that lowering the voting age would not lead to more people voting. The table below shows the percentage of this age bracket that voted in the past five general elections.

 

Election Year

     Turnout of 18-25 year olds
1987      76.2%
1992      75.4%
1997      59.7%
2001      49.4%
2005      44.3%

 

 

The Electoral Commission has consistently rejected calls for the voting age to be lowered, you can read their report on the issue here.

Many neuroscientists also claim the brain is not fully developed by the age of 16. Dr Jay Giedd from the National Institute of Mental Health says the frontal lobe, associated with higher mental functions, only reaches maturity in the late 20s.

An ongoing debate...

The Conservative party are firmly against the idea, and there's no guarantee 16 year olds will get the vote even if Labour win the General Election.

We'd like to hear from you - should 16 year olds be allowed to vote? Let us know what you think...

Comments

by Anthony Seldon, March 4th 2010 19:00:21
I've just turned 16 and would love to be able to have the vote! I feel well enough informed to make the correct judgement. Ps. Buy my book!
by Hans Zimmer, March 4th 2010 19:01:27
Who are the stunners in the picture? Good genes in the family!
by Dan Le Man, March 5th 2010 15:54:47
There are enough idiots who vote in this country already. Do we need more?
by Helen, March 5th 2010 16:02:40
I saw Kid's Question Time the other night and thought it was good to give young people a platform to voice their opinions and get involved. And Dermot's a lot more appealing than Dimbleby as chair.

Post your comment

should 16 olds have the vote?
16 year olds Jonny Prior and Mikey Terrace would vote

Conservative blogger Iain Dale, on votes at 16

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