BRITAIN’S LEGAL VOTING AGE: IS IT SUITABLE? EVE PERKINS With Britain’s current economic condition, do we need more opinions coming from adolescents with their limited view of politics? In this article, we will discuss the positive and negative effects of today’s legal voting age and consider whether it should be amended to a suggested age of 16. Why should the voting age remain at 18? Today’s legal voting age is 18. This is the age where teenagers ‘officially’ become adults. Turning 18 allows teenagers to vote, serve on a jury and purchase alcohol amongst other important allowances. The age of voting was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969, thanks to The Representation of The People Act; this act allowed more people to vote and let the government get a better understanding from a wider range of people. Some would argue that 16-yearolds are not mature enough to make such an important decision as voting; they do not have the knowledge and understanding that adults have to decide who should run our country and what could affect our economy and way of life. If the voting age was to be reduced, this would mean that 16 would become the official age of adulthood. For this to make sense, other legal rights and responsibilities would also have to be extended to 16-yearolds such as driving, buying alcohol and even being tried as an adult in a court of law. If 16-year-olds are too young and immature to purchase and drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes, how can one say that they are responsible enough to have a say in the future of the United Kingdom? If an argument was made that Britain leaving the European Union -and thus
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directly affecting 16-year-olds- should be a reason for the legal voting age to be lowered, then this would be a flawed one. Leaving the European Union would affect everyone, so should all children be allowed to vote? Primary school children are affected by the government’s education policy, so should they too be given the right to vote? If the legal voting age was reduced to 16, should the age of standing in an election also be lowered? Would you want a 16-year-old to be able to make decisions about war, the prison system and the day-to-day governing of our country? Even though it is very unlikely that an adolescent at aged 16 would be elected, we should not forget that Nadia Whittome is currently the youngest serving MP at the age of 24, making [1]£79,468 per year. The Guardian states [2]‘She snorts at the argument that young people need more real-life experience before becoming MPs, pointing out that age is no guarantee of that: “Jacob Rees-Mogg is in his 50s and he’s never changed a
nappy.” ’ Furthermore, in the 2015 general election, the percentage of 18-24-yearolds that turned up to the polls was only [3]43%, demonstrating that young people are not showing enough interest in politics for an argument to be made in their defence. Why should the voting age be lowered to 16? At the age of 16 you can consent to sexual activity, get married and even join the armed forces, however you are not able to vote. This means that you are unable to decide what happens to the family that you are legally allowed to create. Considering that you can make these life changing decisions at the age of 16, should you not able to cast a vote and do the most important thing to shape your future? The recent referendum for Britain to leave the European Union in 2016 left many 16 and 17-year-olds frustrated and wishing that they had more of a say into their future and what will happen
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