Should all British 16- and 17-year-olds be given the vote?

YES
Elizabeth Harding, chief executive, North West Regional Youth Work Unit

I have had mixed views about votes at 16 but over the past few years I have come down on the yes side. Working with young people involved in youth voice projects such as UK Youth Parliament and Youthforia has been such a positive and informative experience. I have found that young people of 16 and 17 reflect the rest of society – many of them make very informed decisions, some make decisions based on what their friends and families think and some aren’t bothered. Why should we judge them differently than the rest of the voting public? We need people to be engaged and interested in our society and the young people I meet have a great hunger to be active. Let’s harness their energy, ideas and enthusiasm.


No
Philip Cowley, professor of parliamentary government, University of Nottingham

If there is an age at which people are considered “adult” by the state - by which we mean the age at which we allow them to do things, without requiring parental consent and entirely of their own choosing – then that age is more often 18 than 16. When the Hansard Society examined public faith and understanding in the constitution, it found just one area where the majority of people said they understood the issue and approved of the current position: and that was having a voting age of 18. Surveys also find no great support among those under the age of 18 for lowering the voting age.


YES
Mita Desai, trustee, British Youth Council, east London

Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds hold responsibility for making choices and contributing to society in a variety of ways from paying tax, getting married to joining the armed forces. Yet they are excluded from the right to influence key decisions that affect their lives and define their future. It’s a fantastic step in the right direction that politicians have recognised the importance of including 16- and 17-year-olds in the Scottish referendum. The next logical step is to give all 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all public elections and referendums in the UK.


No
Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing & Shoreham

I have always been an outspoken advocate of giving young people a louder voice, but votes at 16 would be premature. At the last general election fewer than 45 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds, many potential first-time voters, actually chose to vote, against 65 per cent of the electorate as a whole. All parties need to concentrate on getting that cohort engaged and enthused enough to exercise their democratic right and responsibility first, before considering extending it to younger people, many of whose experience of the political process is still undeveloped. When we achieve that then we can have a legitimate debate about change.