Consultation launched on plan to allow 16 and 17-year-old election candidates in Scotland

Plans to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to stand as candidates in elections have been put out for consultation by the Scottish Government.

Ministers are considering the move as part of wider electoral reforms, including extending candidacy rights to foreign nationals who already have the right to vote.

However, the consultation document notes enabling 16 and 17-year-olds to stand in Scottish elections could raise “well-being concerns”.

These include exposure to intimidation, such as through hate speech or on the campaign trail, as well as long working hours in the Scottish Parliament and local councils.

A group of 16-year-old voters make their way to a polling place to vote in the 2014 referendum. Picture: Neil Hanna

"An MSP may also have to live in Edinburgh during the week, if their home is too far away to travel to the Parliament each day, which could be an additional concern for 16 and 17-year-olds,” the paper says.

"It could also be argued that holding office at the age of 16 or 17 could impact on a young person's education (e.g. in the taking of exams) and there are also data protection issues that arise in relation to the handling of personal data of persons aged under 18.”

Legislation allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in Scottish and local government elections was passed unanimously in Holyrood in 2015.

The Scottish Government has previously made clear it would like to extend candidacy rights. It pledged to “bring forward legislation on electoral reform, to be in force before the next Scottish Parliament elections, that will enable more people to stand as candidates at Scottish Parliament and local government elections”.

George Adam, the SNP minister for parliamentary business, said: “A robust electoral system is fundamental to the success of Scotland being an inclusive and vibrant democracy that makes everyone feel included and empowered.

“It is important as many people in our society as possible feel they have an effective and independent means to hold government to account and also feel encouraged take an active interest in politics and civic life.

“The measures set out in this consultation are wide-ranging and include key questions on how best to improve the accessibility of elections and to promote electoral registration. We will consider all responses very carefully before deciding on our next steps.”