(Don't) leave us kids alone.

[CookieMonster]

So I heard mention of the idea of dropping the voting age to 16. It's an idea i've always liked and think it deserves serious consideration.

Politics often seems too concerned with short-term sound bite solutions to issues which would more often that not be better addressed with long term solutions. Such is the nature of the beast. Would lowering the voting age incourage politicians seeking office to opt for long term solutions to address problems or is it opening up young minds to the possibility of political manipulation? What do you lot think?

[Stíofán]

I'd support the voting age being lowered, but I don't know if it'll have a major impact on voter apathy amongst young people.

A fall in the voting age might lead politicians to become more in touch with the reality of young peoples lives. According to our Dear Leader Bertie Ahern, in yesterdays Dáil, young people "drifted to street corners with ghetto-blasters". He's really down with the kids...

[popper]

I'd support the voting age being lowered, but I don't know if it'll have a major impact on voter apathy amongst young people.

A fall in the voting age might lead politicians to become more in touch with the reality of young peoples lives. According to our Dear Leader Bertie Ahern, in yesterdays Dáil, young people "drifted to street corners with ghetto-blasters". He's really down with the kids...

What did Bertie do as a young fella? He sometimes tries to give the impression that he was a great sportsman. However, I saw him trying to hit a sliothar one day, and even allowing for the fact that he might have been with Na Fianna he was not convincing!

[QuizMaster]

You think 16 year olds take a longer term view of things?
I don't see any evidence of this.
They might be more suggestible too.
I believed all kinds of crazy things when I was 16.

Although I suppose in fairness, no taxation without representation. They pay tax (if working), they can get married, they can join the army.

So I'd support it as a right, not because it would be a good idea or would make for better decision making (which I don't believe it would).



Edit:
Looks like they have it in Holland, and in some parts of Austria and Germany:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_age ... _the_world

[Limerick Lad]

What did Bertie do as a young fella? He sometimes tries to give the impression that he was a great sportsman. However, I saw him trying to hit a sliothar one day, and even allowing for the fact that he might have been with Na Fianna he was not convincing!

This maybe similar to his qualifications in accountancy over exaggerated or nonexistent.

[Pidge]

It's certainly an interesting question, and while I'd consider it for local elections, it's not something I could support for any other vote.

I certainly wasn't able to deal with the issues properly when I was sixteen. I also work with a fairly large youth group, which has mostly Transition Year and Fifth Year students discussing political issues. While they can have interesting ideas, the broad inability to "get" some issues is obvious to see.

Young people certainly have a political contribution to make, but I don't see the vote as the best outlet for that.

[krayZpaving]

I think Labour, Greens and SF have policy that the voting age for local election should be dropped to 16.

[Pidge]

I think Labour, Greens and SF have policy that the voting age for local election should be dropped to 16.

It'd be a nice introduction.

Also - and this is just theorising - it could provoke a greater interest in local affairs. If the only franchise extended is a local one, it's likely that young people would take a greater interest in that section.

I imagine that you'd see a growth in the SF and Green vote.

[qtman]

I certainly wasn't able to deal with the issues properly when I was sixteen

That isn't a good argument. There are plenty of voters out there who are, shall we say, a little bit confused by the issues.

I think the main argument against reducing the age reverts to the idea of a sliding scale.

If you reduced the age to 16, there would then be a very strong lobby who would seek to reduce other legislative ages, e.g. driving, drinking, consent etc., with the potential consequence that everybody would be allowed do everything from the day they were born.

I think the age should be reduced for Local and EU elections, but not Oireachtas elections.

[Pidge]

I certainly wasn't able to deal with the issues properly when I was sixteen

That isn't a good argument. There are plenty of voters out there who are, shall we say, a little bit confused by the issues.

I think you've taken another point from what I said. Admittedly, it's easy to do, so I'm sorry about the phrasing.

I was specifically talking about ability as to opposed to any actual knowledge or grasp of political issues. In other words, I wasn't referring to a lack of political knowledge or insight, rather the capability to have one.

A twenty-one year old may well be just as confused as a twelve year old on a political issue, but I'd wager that the former has the capability to go out and understand such issues; a capacity which a twelve year old mightn't have.