Should 16-Year-Olds Have the Right to Vote?
The UK Government is currently considering offering the vote to about 1.5 million 16- and 17-year-olds ahead of the next general election.... but is this about social justice for the young and revitalising democracy, like many Labour MPs claim, or just a cynical attempt to secure another half a million votes, as younger people TEND to vote left.
The Case For Votes at 16
Those who campaign for extending the franchise along age lines claim democracy is in decline, with trust in politicians at an all-time low and turnout dropping. Fewer than just over half of those eligible actually voted in the recent general election, and that's normal based on previous years' turnout figures too.
By giving 16- and 17-year-olds the vote, campaigners hope to create voting habits at an earlier age, and studies have established that the early starter voter is more likely to carry on voting later in life. And surely anything which brings more people to the ballot box has to be a good thing.
Then there's the fact that social policy has probably MORE of an effect on younger people than older... from pensions and social care to immigration consequences and climate change... policy now will impact younger people in the future, they need to have a say.
The Case Against Votes at 16
Critics argue that 16-year-olds are still legally considered children in the majority of areas of life. They cannot buy booze, drive alone in a car, or give blood. For most, schooling is still their full-time occupation, and few give income taxes or have to face the entire weight of adulthood.
Sixteen-year-olds may be able to enlist, but they cannot be deployed in combat until 18. For critics, extending the vote is not about fairness but about political advantage – what some describe as “cynical gerrymandering.”
There’s also scepticism about whether Labour would even benefit. Though young people have always voted left – and Jeremy Corbyn has won over 60% of young people's votes in the past – today's "digital native" teens are influenced by TikTok, YouTube, and online stars who defy narrow ideological labels. Others, including Nigel Farage, have received more online backing than almost all MPs, leaving open the possibility of younger voters turning to right-populism or one-issue politics such as climate politics or solidarity with Palestine.
Final thoughts
IMO allowing a younger vote almost the least the government can do to connect more with younger people, the vote should just be the beginning, MORE efforts to get younger people socially engaged required please!
You can get married and pay taxes at 16, so why not be able to vote too? I expect young people are not getting their information from the 'mainstream' sources these days. I would hope they are not being corrupted by extremists, but then I expect a lot of them are well capable of thinking for themselves. The government has to be good at reaching all of us so we know what they are achieving.
The legal age to get married in England is 18 not 16. There's a lot of things under 18s can't do - smoking, drinking, getting a tattoo, enter into a contract....
Yes, many of them are well capable of thinking for themselves, but I believe a lot lot more are not capable.
I wasn't totally sure of the age limits, but I did a quick search. There are plenty of adults I wouldn't trust to vote.
Yeah! Tell me about it that 🥺
Certainly better education to go along with the voting too (and not just for 16 ur olds!!!
I think many teenagers are still figuring out their own lives and aren't really ready to make such important choices.
I dunno I think let them have a say - much better figuring things out than stuck in their ways like the oldies!
Not sure about this, but I think there are a few jurisdictions in the U.S. where 16-year-olds can vote in local elections but for federal elections it’s uniformly 18. Nominally, states can control the drinking age but a few decades ago the feds said they’d withhold highway construction funds from any state with an age lower than 21. All fell into line.
Good luck renting a car if you’re under 25 but I think that’s a policy of rental companies rather than the government.
That just sounds like an age mixed up absolute sithole!
If you pay tax, you should be able to vote.
It seems pretty simple right..?!?!
No. They’re a bunch of dipsticks, 16 year olds.
And the reality is, 16 year olds are more likely to be lefties (Labour) until life catches up with them and they turn conservative. It’s a ploy to shore up elections for Labour.