The society has argued in its response to the commission's consultation on the voting age that young people won't be interested in the electoral process unless they're given the vote closer to when they receive citizenship education in school.
Dr Ken Ritchie, chief executive of the society, said: "At the moment we teach young people about the importance of voting but then we tell them they can't vote until they're 18."
In 2004, the Electoral Commission concluded that the voting age should remain at 18 until citizenship education was established enough, despite 72 per cent of young people favouring a voting age of 16.
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
