#votingage

Lowering the voting age? Are you serious? Unless we start teaching our children how the political system actually works, this is nothing more than a blatant attempt by Labour to scrape together a few extra votes. Let's get real here: our youth are barely managing to figure out their own identities, let alone navigate the complex web of political parties and policies.

Just think about it for a second. We're talking about an age group that spends more time scrolling through TikTok and Instagram than engaging with current affairs. They can tell you the latest viral dance move, but ask them to name the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and you'll be met with blank stares. 

It's not all their fault; we haven't equipped them with the tools to understand or participate meaningfully in the political process. Don’t get me wrong they can learn by themselves just like I did.  Personal responsibility goes a long way.  

If we lower the voting age without addressing this glaring gap in education, what are we really achieving? A superficial sense of inclusion that does nothing to foster informed, responsible citizens. Instead of genuinely empowering young people, we’re setting them up to be pawns in a cynical game of vote-chasing.

The Labour party needs to grow up and face reality. If they’re serious about engaging the youth, they should be pushing for comprehensive political education in schools, not pandering to a demographic that isn't ready to shoulder the responsibility of voting.

The truth is, many of today's teenagers are still figuring out who they are in a rapidly changing world. Expecting them to make informed decisions about the future of our country when they can barely decide what they want for lunch is not just unrealistic, it's downright irresponsible.

Sure, young people have a fresh perspective, and their voices are important. But let's ensure those voices are informed and educated before we hand them the power to shape our nation's future. Lowering the voting age without proper education is a disservice to both the youth and the democratic process.

A case for lowering the voting age:

In the past couple of years since Brexit particularity there has been much debate on the topic of lowering the voting age. It currently stands at 18 for both Men and Women in the United Kingdom. Though the proposal is to drop it to 16, I shall put forward a case on why I think lowering the voting age, could help improve Britain’s education system. But first let me deal with some popular arguments against.

Not old enough to understand politics? :

This to me seems the most ridiculous stance of all, at 16 you’re expected in the UK to pass your GCSE’s sometimes up to 9-10 at a time, many adults who come back to them, often look at past papers in disbelief, as if it was some sort of miracle they passed all them all those years ago.

Furthmore, not being able to understand politics is weak to its utmost core, I mean, how many adult voters, truly understand what these demagogues are selling, it’s a paltry argument at best, shall we forbid those adults who do not understand the system the vote also?

So, here it is, how do I think lowering the voting age will improve the education system?

Currently in the UK teachers rights are being stripped away, funding to colleges, and quality of courses can be at times disappointing.

Why is this? As politicians do not have to make choices with students in mind, if we were to change that, then our esteemed legislators would have to take policy action to keep students happy also.

As the 16yr olds would be fresh out of school, it would encourage them to interact on a new level, how to improve the schools, and what colleges need. As no doubt to a 16yr old things like tuition fees, quality of education, teachers welfare, will matter on a new level.

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