Time to trust 16-year-olds with the vote – Jayne Dowle
As things stand however, Lizzie will have to wait two years until she is 18 to do this, the same age as her brother is now.
My daughter says that it’s her future we’re talking about, and that at an age when she would be allowed to get married, pay income tax and National Insurance and join the armed forces, she should have a say.
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Hide Ad“But do you feel 16-year-olds know enough about politics?” I ask her. “Some will, and some won’t,” she replied. “Just like the rest of the population.” She makes a fair point.
If we lived in Wales or Scotland, Lizzie would be gearing up to go and vote already. Last week in Wales, for the first time, 16 and 17-year-olds were permitted to vote in local and Welsh Assembly elections, joining young people already afforded the same privilege in Scotland.
In England, however, and also Northern Ireland, this demographic is still excluded from the ballot box across the board. Even though Northern Ireland’s devolved Assembly passed a motion in 2012 supporting “Votes at 16”, it does not have the powers to enforce it.
Does this sound fair to you? If I was 16 or 17, I would be mightily frustrated. As far as I’m aware, the Prime Minister has given scant thought to the issue of lowering the voting age in England.
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Hide AdIf Mr Johnson thought about it for a moment, it might even do him some good.