Tories could back voting rights for 16-year-olds

[Techno-Druid]

(Source)

A growing number of Conservatives now back votes for 16-year-olds, with senior Tories predicting that the party could change its stance on younger voters before the next election.

Senior Conservative backbencher Sir Peter Bottomley said it was a “question of when rather than if” the party would eventually back the policy.

Other former ministers have also suggested the Conservatives should change their attitude towards lowering the voting age, including two former education secretaries – Justine Greening and Nicky Morgan.

Bottomley said the policy had enough support from the Tory backbenches to pass through parliament. “I think it would probably carry. Labour would vote in favour of it, so would every minority party, and a growing number of Conservatives support it,” he told the Evening Standard.

George Osborne, the former chancellor who now edits the Evening Standard, suggested he too was in favour. “More Tory MPs now support votes for 16yr olds,” he tweeted.

“By my count, [government] now doesn’t have a majority to stop it. Choice: lose in Commons, 16yr olds get vote and Tories lose even more support of young people; or back votes at 16 and get some credit for major social reform. Hmmm. Tough one.”

Writing on ConservativeHome website recently, Morgan said she would back a private member’s bill tabled by Labour MP Peter Kyle to lower the voting age to 16, saying those who were denied a vote at the EU referendum were “furious that their futures have been decided by those aged over 70”.

“Embracing votes at 16 would demonstrate to the next generation that the Conservative party has something to offer them,” she said. “Just as the Conservatives both delivered on and then fulfilled votes for women, it is time for us to take the next pragmatic leap forward and get on with votes at 16.”

Greening, who left her education secretary role last month, said Theresa May should consider endorsing votes for 16-year-olds as a way of bringing younger people back onside.

“I don’t think it’s an argument that should be dismissed at all,” she told the Sunday Times. “I got to vote one or two days after I was 18 in 1987. Was I too immature to have voted three days before when I was 17? Probably not.”

Labour’s manifesto backed lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 but the Cabinet Office secretary, David Lidington, told the House of Commons last week the government was not in favour of a change.

“The age of 18 rather than 16 is widely recognised as the age at which one becomes an adult,” Lidington said, responding to a question from Labour’s Emily Thornberry.

“The situation here, with the national voting age at 18, is one that is followed by 26 out of the 27 other members of the EU and by the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Unless she is going to denounce all of those countries as somehow inadequate by her own particular standards, she ought to grow up and treat this subject with greater seriousness.”

Cat Smith MP, Labour’s shadow minister for voter engagement and youth affairs, said: “Votes at 16 is the right thing to do and George Osborne has admitted that an increasing number of Tory MPs know it.

“The only thing stopping them doing the right thing is their own narrow political interests. For once, the Tories should stop thinking of themselves, do the right thing and give young people the vote.”

A similar thing is happening on a smaller scale in the US. An example being this bill which would allow 17 year olds to vote in the Utah primary elections. and a state Senate panel in New Jersey advancing two bills on voting rights, one which would extend voting rights to 17. Of course there are also local elections.

I'm somewhat conflicted in that while I believe in extending more rights to all members of society, I'm skeptical of the political literacy of most adults, much less teenagers. Although I doubt many teenagers that were politically illiterate would vote in state or local elections. I also believe that anyone old enough to have the right to consent to age, withhold medical information from anyone outside of their doctor or get an abortion, file for emancipation and get a job should be entitled to have at least somewhat of a say in how their government functions.

[Deleted]

I'd push it to 21 personally but /shrug

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Honestly though this feels like Tories trying desperately to gain young voters

[Deleted]

Should bold : “By my count, [government] now doesn’t have a majority to stop it. Choice: lose in Commons, 16yr olds get vote and Tories lose even more support of young people; or back votes at 16 and get some credit for major social reform. Hmmm. Tough one.” from that tosser Osbourne.

[zorkuus]

Yeah, I bet the conservatives would love more uninformed voters.

[Deleted]

Children shouldn't be allowed to vote.

[durrtygoodz]

Yeah, I bet the conservatives would love more uninformed voters.

Uninformed voters back Corbyn.

[Frozenbeef]

Why though, isn't anyone under 60 more likely to vote for Labour?

They shoulds be trying to learn how to keep elderly people alive or resurrecting the dead...

[Frolk]

99% of 16 year olds are NOT knowledgeable/mature enough to vote, waste of time and money to make this go through, should stay 18

[Deleted]

I know that Austria has done it, and has had some amount of success with it. It was coupled with a more expansive program in school (politic science mostly), and it seems to have a good effect, because at the same time that they are learning the system, they get to actually vote as well, which means they get engaged (I seem to recall they have the highest youth voting percentage now).

[Daedius]

That's too young, and can be easily abused with coercion... a lot of teens have zero interests in politics. Ought to be raised to 21 where they are, hopefully, independent then.

[shaunika123]

any number you put on it will be mostly arbitrary.

and anyway, are young people voting at all? like afaik the 18-25 crowd is usually the least represented bunch in votes

[Trollhammer]

https://www.mmo-champion.com/forums/359-Politics

[Trassk]

Children shouldn't be allowed to vote.

Pretty much this.

If your to young to be a reasonable parent, guardian or teacher, then you shouldn't yet be allowed to make important decisions on the political direction of the country

[Rafoel]

16 year olds are mostly too stupid to vote rationally.

But again... so are most adults.

[Techno-Druid]

That's too young, and can be easily abused with coercion... a lot of teens have zero interests in politics. Ought to be raised to 21 where they are, hopefully, independent then.

If they have zero interest in politics then they wouldn't be voting regardless. From what I gather this would mostly be aimed towards more politically minded teenagers, at least that's one of the best arguments I've heard for it.

[Daedius]

If they have zero interest in politics then they wouldn't be voting regardless. From what I gather this would mostly be aimed towards more politically minded teenagers, at least that's one of the best arguments I've heard for it.

That still won't stop parents getting their kids to vote for what the parent wants...

[Techno-Druid]

That still won't stop parents getting their kids to vote for what the parent wants...

That's a good point, although I imagine there would be probably have to be a law in place that guarantees 16-17 year olds the right to vote for whatever candidate they support without backlash from the parents. Although that would likely be a rare occurrence.

[Orby]

I'd push it to 21 personally but /shrug

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Honestly though this feels like Tories trying desperately to gain young voters

Desperately being the key word lol. :P

[Demolitia]

(Source)


A similar thing is happening on a smaller scale in the US. An example being this bill which would allow 17 year olds to vote in the Utah primary elections. and a state Senate panel in New Jersey advancing two bills on voting rights, one which would extend voting rights to 17. Of course there are also local elections.

I'm somewhat conflicted in that while I believe in extending more rights to all members of society, I'm skeptical of the political literacy of most adults, much less teenagers. Although I doubt many teenagers that were politically illiterate would vote in state or local elections. I also believe that anyone old enough to have the right to consent to age, withhold medical information from anyone outside of their doctor or get an abortion, file for emancipation and get a job should be entitled to have at least somewhat of a say in how their government functions.

Not like your young ones are voting when it matters anyway ...

[Deleted]

That still won't stop parents getting their kids to vote for what the parent wants...

Seeing how high the age is for the average person before they move out these days, we'd need to let people vote at like 25.

Also, we're talking about 16 year olds, thinking that they'll do what you tell them to is naive at best