Labour plans to lower voting age to 16 (in UK)

[Redfairen]

Source: The Guardian

Lowering the voting age could be one of the first acts of a new Labour government as the party wants 16- and 17-year-olds to be able to vote in the London mayoral election of 2016, one of Ed Miliband's closest allies will say on Friday.

In a speech in London, Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, will say lowering the voting age is at the heart of the party's plans for constitutional reform.

.......

"Getting the public into the habit of voting is clearly a key part of any solution if we are to raise the numbers of those who participate in elections. We need to get people hooked on voting at an early age because the evidence shows if you vote when you first become eligible you're more likely to keep on voting for the rest of your life. Don't vote when you're young and you're more likely to never vote.

"Changing the law and extending those eligible to vote would mean governments in the future would be foolish to ignore their voice."



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/23/labour-voting-age-16-mayoral-elections

[Ken Burch]

1. like the idea...but why the particular emphasis on the London mayoral race?

Is there some reason Labour thinks the teenage vote will be more important there than in any other contest?

And does Labour have a candidate for London mayor that has some unusual appeal to the young?

[davidpdx]

5. True

If you are going to give voting rights it should be across the board on everything. Lowing the age is an interesting idea. If it had been done here I would have gotten to vote in the election the year before I turned 18. My first presidential election wasn't until I was 21.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. It would be the first notable British election that could be affected

and it's one that Labour might win, but is currently held by a Tory; they think youth are more likely to be left-leaning, so it might give them a little advantage. They may as well try to get the change in place for when it might make a difference in their favour.

The Scottish independence referendum will allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote; that was a decision by the Scottish parliament (led by the SNP, who, again, reckon it helps them in that vote), but only affects that referendum - the age for voting for the Scottish parliament, Westminster, or local elections remains at 18.

[Ken Burch]

7. Well, if Labour stays rigidly Blairite(and it has been under Miliband the Younger(brother), so far)

it's hard to see why it would expect to get younger voters.

To do that, Labour needs to allow its local parties to be left-wing in areas that aren't stereotypically "Middle England" kinds of towns.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. The London mayoral election gives you a single alternative preference vote

so that the 2 candidates who get the highest number of first preference votes can have votes transferred from the other candidates. The top 2 will inevitably be Labour and Tory (assuming you don't get an 'unofficial Labour' candidate, as Ken Livingstone was in the first election, when Blair tried to keep Livingstone out), and so, even if many voters want someone to the left of the Labour candidate, they will pick up most of the "keep the Tory out" votes. Even in the first-past-the-post elections, Labour's main battle is still "do we beat the Tory".

In practice, I doubt the change will make much difference in most places - 2 year groups, compared with the equivalent of about 60 older than them, and at the end of the spectrum where voting is least likely anyway. London probably is one place it could have a noticeable effect.

[tofuandbeer]

2. Wow. 16 seems young. It sounds like it would be extra votes for the parents of the 16 year olds.

But, I don't have a 16 year old, so I can't say for certain.

[Fearless]

4. If that were the case, then the results of the election would be largely unchanged.

[Ken Burch]

8. when you were 16, you agreed with YOUR parents on everything?

Doesn't sound like any 1t 16-year-old I ever heard of.

[T_i_B]

10. I'd say that 16-18 year olds are mostly unlikely to vote

Largely because UK political parties are extremely unappealing and don't do anything for the under 30's as it is.

At the moment, I'd say that there are other issues affecting British democracy that need to be dealt with ahead of lowering the voting age. Essentially I think that British political parties need to sort themselves out and try and become mass membership movements once more before they start tinkering with democracy

[DemocraticWing]

11. Maybe if they pair it with extensive civil education it can do wonders.

If these kids go into their first election pretty much expected to vote, they may actually do it. And political habits, with exceptions of course, are largely formed at a young age.

[T_i_B]

16. I think parents will always be the biggest influence here

For instance, I may have rejected much of my parents political views but I have always made a point of voting. it was one thing my parents were very big on, that you must always excercise your right to vote at every available oportunity or risk losing it.

If the school says "Vote" and your parents say "don't bother, they're all crooks" the chances are that most people will side with their parents.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

3. Makes sense to me. n/t

[ancianita]

12. Lowering the voting age to twelve in the USA would build a smarter electorate and better schools!

The issues adults deal with are not too complicated for a twelve year-old to engage with. Children's interests will only be considered by threat of a children's vote.

Children's votes could swing some change into pay-to-play governance.

[former9thward]

13. 16 is too young to vote.

18 is probably too young also but we have to draw some adult line and there is where we have done it.

[groundloop]

14. I mostly think that's correct.

In the case of my 16 year old daughter I swear she'd vote for whichever candidate was the cutest, or whichever one could rap the best.

[former9thward]

15. Since the age of mass television and candidates using it

almost always the best looking candidate has won. Depending on your tastes you can argue there have been exceptions but that is generally the rule.

[Munificence]

17. I don't think 16 is to young

especially here in the U.S.

If one can go to work legally at the age of 16 and pay taxes then they should be able to vote. Goes back to the "No taxation without representation" idea.

Another age restrictions I don't like is the drinking age. Case in point is that I am a 1st Gulf War Army vet. I enlisted for just over 2 years. I was in and out of the Army before I turned 21 years of age and could not legally acquire or drink alcohol. I was stationed in Germany so I could however drink legally but cold not when I came home.

[former9thward]

18. 14 is the minimum age for work.

Should people in grade school be voting? 18 used to be the age for drinking. The federal government got the states to raise it to 21 by threatening them with withholding money for highways. It was the state's own money the federal government was holding back. It is a shame that all of the states gave in to the extortion.