In its draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish government is considering plans to lower the voting age in its referendum for Scottish independence to include 16- and 17-year-olds.
This age group can currently register to vote and appear on the electoral register as "attainers", but can only vote when they are 18.
In its response to a consultation surrounding the plans, the Electoral Commission points out that by lowering the voting age to 16 the attainer age would have to drop to 14.
"We will be interested and concerned about how the administrative arrangement for the creation of the register for the referendum is to be managed, and how the public-awareness campaigns will explain the restricted franchise for 16- and 17-year-olds," says the commission in its response.
A commission spokeswoman added: "The electoral register is a public document that anyone can access. There is a provision to be on the register but to opt out of having your details made public. This opt-out would need to be well promoted if people as young as 14 can register."
Lowering the voting age for the referendum would boost the electorate by 125,000 in Scotland.
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