Anne Houston: We should give 16-year-olds the chance to vote

Published on Friday 10 February 2012 00:00

CHILDREN 1ST is calling on all political parties in Scotland to take action to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections, including the referendum on independence.

We know from speaking to young people that they want to be involved in the democratic process and that they want their opinions to be heard. During 2009, to mark 125 years of our work as the RSSPCC, we engaged with 125 children and young people to establish their vision for the future. A key issue to emerge during this activity was the right to vote.

Young people at our 125 event came from 24 local authority areas in Scotland and their recommendation was unanimous.

They overwhelmingly supported the idea of young people being included and involved in the democratic process by being given the right to vote from the age of 16.

They felt that their role and opinions would be taken more seriously by decision-makers, and young people would be more consistently and genuinely consulted in national policy-making exercises.

These are just some of the views expressed by young people:

• “The government actively encourages us to make our own decisions, but then they don’t allow us because we aren’t old enough to vote.” 125 participant, age 16.

• “It doesn’t make sense that there are so many things that young people can do at 16 and not at 18, yet they cannot vote until they are 18.” 125 participant, age 16.

• “See the person, not the age. It’s only a number, and it doesn’t define who you are.” 125 participant, age 16.

•“We’ve got a voice too, it’s not just adults. I just think it’d be better if young people got a chance to speak their minds.” 125 participant, age 13.

• “I want adults to work with us to improve things. We can’t just leave it down to them.” 125 participant, age 15.

For all the reasons expressed so passionately by young people, we hope that politicians will see the importance of lowering the voting age and providing wider opportunities for inclusion and participation in issues that matter to them.

• Anne Houston is chief executive at Children 1st. For more information see the organisation’s website www.children1st.org.uk.

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brianwci

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:53 PM

Meanwhile, back at the great Moore give-away. Vote No and we'll give you some of the extra powers you seek. Trump that Mr smarty pants Salmond. OK. Vote YES and we can have ALL the extra powers we need to run Scotland. Drat, back to the drawing board, sounded so good last night as I supped my way through the Glenfiddoch! VOTE YES.

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brianwci

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:48 PM

#5 christelijk says: the great majority of our future is behind us. That made me laugh. I assume English isn't your first language christelijk, excellent post nevertheless. On a point of information though everybody's future is ahead of them even if they are 99years old. But I'm just being picky, we know what you mean, for most of us the majority of our life is behind us whereas hopefully for 99.9%.of teenagers the majority of their life is still to come. I agree with you, give 16+ the vote. VOTE YES

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rider000

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:47 AM

The truth is that it is a cadre of mendacious establishment pols who want to deny these young workers, young parents, you soldiers, and tomorrows leaders, their right to a say in their future and their nation's future. They will, if we let them, deny our young working citizens, their inalienable democratic right to self determination. ..... What a load of sentimentalist crap. Everyone knows teenagers are confused and angry so should you leave decisions of importance to those that have limited real life experience. Else, why not give anyone over 12's seeing all residents become criminally responsible at that age, surely with responsibility comes the vote too.

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Huntly Loon

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:41 AM

I find there are three good reasons for giving 16 and 17 year olds the vote. Firstly, many are in employment and subject to class 1 National Insurance and Income Tax. They are regarded as adult enough to vote. No taxation without representation. Secondly over the years the electorate has become incre4asingly older, with many more people living into their 80s and 90s. When votes began at 21 and later at 18 that was not the case. Reducing the age to 16 will redress the electorate's average age to what it was in the past. Thirdly, we must re-engage as a society with young people. Giving them the vote shows respect to them and once they have got into the habit to vote they may get into the habit. I was 16 when I first became politically aware and was able to form opinions for myself.

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douglas-home rule

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:19 AM

Labour and Libdems believe in votes for 16 and 17year olds, except for Scotland. Labour and Libdems believe in Home Rule, except for Scotland. Fraudsters!----- Now Micky Moore is trying the old Douglas-Home trick----vote NO and there will be more devo coming. We wont fall for this nonsense twice. If you have a proposal, get it on the table NOW!!!

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christelijk_recht

Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 04:40 AM

We all know the ONLY reason there is an real opposition to this idea has to do with the Unionist parties belief that it will add to the YES vote tally in the referendum. That is all it is about. .......................................................................................................................... There is no doubt that these young adults have a huge stake in the outcome of this referendum. They have all of their adult future before them, whereas for many of us, well, the great majority of our future is behind us. How can it be that we have any greater right to decided this issue than do they? .................................................................................................................... With respect to political maturity (i.e., the degree to which they are ready to understand this issue and assess the ramifications of their decision), there are a great many mature adults with the political awareness and acumen of a cold mince pie, yet no politician would dare say that deficit should disqualify them from their right to exercise their franchise. ............................................................................................................... The truth is that it is a cadre of mendacious establishment pols who want to deny these young workers, young parents, you soldiers, and tomorrows leaders, their right to a say in their future and their nation's future. They will, if we let them, deny our young working citizens, their inalienable democratic right to self determination. .................................................................................................................. As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, if these establishment careerist pols thought our young people would vote NO in the referendum, they would be clamoring for their immediate enfranchisement, in the name of natural justice and the Scottish Tradition. ..................................................................................................................... However, opinion polls tell them the young will vote overwhelmingly for change, and for a new forward-looking, self-confident Scotland, and the vested interests of this moribund Union will not abide that. ................................................................................................................... Some of the Old Order say, yes to the giving our youngest adults the right to a say in their future - but not for THIS vote on independence. Well, I ask them, and you: what vote is more important to ALL our futures than this one?

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samcoldstream

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 04:39 PM

According to HMRC, in September, 2011, there were just over 680,000 16 and 17 year olds in the UK workplace who were paying Grade One National Insurance Contributions at 11 percent in earnings over £110. Half this group (of mainly 17 year olds) also pay modest amounts of Income Tax because most are now on the National Minimum Wage of £3,68 per hour. (Source: HMRC website)

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ItsTime

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:39 PM

16 year old children should not be given the vote, to do so will politicse their childhoods and schools at an age when most of them dont pay tax and have no responisbilities. I would have more sympathy for allowing 17-year olds the vote, but at the moment 18 seems reasonable to me.

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samcoldstream

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:42 AM

On the Isle of Man and Channel Islands, which are British through and through, 16 and 17 have the right to vote in every election. In 1970, when ALL the political parties were concerned about falling voter turnout at Local and Central Government Elections, they ALL unanimously voted in favour of reducing the voting age from 21 to 18.

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florian albert

Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:33 AM

Now that the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (so Victorian) has been rebranded as Children 1st (much more modern), it is lobbying for political change. Is this because we don't have cruelty to children any more and we lack a Childrens' Commissioner to protect their rights ? Still, its emphasis on childrens' rights may provide work for another disadvantaged group,lawyers.

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