Would giving 16-year-olds the vote improve democracy or just change the way campaigns are run?

Eva Bradley from the children's law centre says, ”Being able to vote from age 16 would ensure, politicians take us young people seriously in matters that affect us, giving us a say on issues that will impact our present and future”.The UK now wants 16 and 17-year-olds to vote at the next general election. We understand this will change democracy, but how?

I think lowering the voting age would improve democracy due to the high number of new voters, who may have new perspectives on certain issues compared to older generations, which could sway the vote in a certain party’s favour. By knowing their vote matters, teenagers would be more likely to be passionate about political topics. They will learn about policies that affect them, for example, the job market, house prices, tuition fees, and environmental issues that older generations may care less about. A study concerning lowering the voting age shows it boosts long-term participation in elections. In Scotland, where teenagers were allowed to vote, teenagers were a lot more likely to vote in the future, combating political apathy. At 16 years old, individuals can get jobs, get married, etc, so many believe they should be allowed to vote. Others think since they pay taxes, they should have an opinion on where that money goes. Allowing 16-year-olds to vote would ensure the interests of younger generations would be included in campaigns and in the political process. Young people are heavily affected by politics so giving them a vote would ensure their wants would be included.

Someone who disagrees may think teenagers don't have the cognitive ability and critical thinking skills to make political choices, as well as lacking the political knowledge to do so. I believe this is false, as in Brazil and Austria, where 16-year-olds are permitted to vote, it has been found that the political knowledge known by both under and over 18s were fairly similar. Another disadvantage is that teenagers are exposed to misinformation online and therefore may be swayed into voting for a political party that does not align with their personal beliefs. However, all ages are susceptible to misinformation despite it being common in younger generations, older adults are consistently engaging with false information. Allowing 16-year-olds to vote would make more of their interests be taken into account in the future, giving them a say on what issues matter to them.