An issue that has cropped up immediately after the EU referendum is that of ‘At what age should one be allowed to vote’. The recent referendum can be used as an example of how extremely different demographics of society choose to vote. It is my strong belief that the voting age should be reduced to 16. In a recent YouGov debate several arguments were used to argue against the idea that the voting age should be lowered. As an 18 year old myself I was not only insulted on behalf of my age group but also aghast at the weak arguments I was met with. I believe that in this modern era, politics is so
Firstly, there is the idea that an age group our priorities are on ‘Which party will lower the age of getting a drink, or keep the clubs open, and which won't?’[1] I reject this argument that youth is a measure of immaturity. Of course in any demographic there will be people who vote for parties and their policies for the wrong reasons, yet the increased youth presence means they would be able to have a say on matters that actually will affect them, such as rising tuition fees.
Another argument made is that the information a student will receive on politics will not be independent as their teacher or lecturer will put their own spin on it. When is politics independent? When was the last time a completely impartial observer put together a list of pro’s and con’s without coming down on either side of the debate? It is impossible to do so, when writing such a piece one is required to put a certain degree of emphasis on a certain issue. This means that the writer will always influence the reader in some way. Having just finished school I can honestly tell you that the number of times which a teacher made their political views clear to me were limited and they certainly had no effect on my personal outlook.
The last argument is that teenagers need ‘experience of the real world[2]’. 16 year olds are liable to income tax, can join the army and can get married, if that is not enough real world experience I don’t know what more you can ask for. The thought that a contributing member of society, who could end up paying money into funding a system they haven’t voted for, seems like daylight robbery.
Finally, now that the EU referendum has passed it is futile to say that it seems wrong to for teenagers of today to have their futures decided by an older generation. In what was regularly called the decision of a generation 75% of 18-24 year olds voted to remain in the EU, apparently it was up to another generation.
[1] https://yougov.co.uk/news/2012/02/15/and-against-lowering-voting-age/ 12th July 2016
[2] https://yougov.co.uk/news/2012/02/15/and-against-lowering-voting-age/ 12th July 2016
