Votes at 16 - For Flashcards
What can 16-year-olds do?
They can leave school to enter work, give full consent to medical treatment and consent to sexual relationships, so why should be allowed to vote? Some 16-year-olds pay taxes, so why shouldn’t they be given a say on what the government does with their money?
What does politics affect?
Their future
How will low turnout be increased?
Low turnout among young people can be increased by involving them in politics earlier.
In 2014, the Scottish govt reported that over 80% of 16-17-year-olds registered to vote when compared to the UK wide figure for 18-25-year-olds of 55%
Why can 16-year-olds be informed quicker?
With information at their fingertips, 16 years can be informed much quicker
Not all 16-year-olds are…
Immature and make uninformed decisions just like not all adults are mature and make informed decisions
They are alienated…
Thus leading to apathy (e.g. average age of an MP is 50, low turnout)
