Why was the commission investigating this change? Young people asked them to. Faced with a low and falling turnout at elections by those aged 18 to 24, the Government set about consulting young people with its Y Vote, Y Not? initiative. It concluded that The Electoral Commission should "seriously consider" arguments for reducing the voting age and the age for public office candidacy.
How did they go about it? First, they looked at international comparisons and found that only nine countries had a voting age that was lower than 18, including Iran (15) and North Korea (17). Although the commission claims that a well-argued case would have justified change, the fact that so few other countries - and no comparable Western democracies - have a voting age of 16 seems to have carried a lot of weight.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
