Voting is an incredibly critical part of our society. It enables us, as members of a country, to have a decision in factors that affect our lives directly. In England, the current voting age is 18 years old. However, should this age limit be more lenient? Do 16 year olds hold the intellectual maturity for their vote to be considered?

To weigh the positive and negatives of this matter, let us first delve into what 16 year olds are able to do. From the age of 16, one is entitled to make numerous choices. This includes leaving school and working full time, whilst a National insurance number is sent to you. Along with this, one can change their name, apply to receive a debit card, give consent, and even get married (so long as a parent’s permission is attainable).

As far as legal matters go, one can be persecuted for engaging in sexual activities with someone under the age of 16, and also for neglecting a child who was meant to be under their care.

It is clear that at the age of 16, many responsibilities are passed on to a teenager, and they are trusted to partake in more activities too! If one can marry with a parent’s permission, should they be able to vote with a parent’s permission too? In today’s world, teenagers hold a lot of political opinions and are far more aware and intrigued in events that will shape the future. For example, with Brexit, the UK public voted with 51.89% in favour of the move. This highlights how large decisions are being made and the immense influence that voting has in certain decisions, decisions that the mass population of teenagers are interested in. However, 75% of 18-24 year olds actually voted to remain in the EU, yet there were more votes for the latter. If 16 year-olds were allowed too, who knows how the votes would have swayed as more people are able to give their opinion. It was clearly a close call with 1.89% more citizens voting in favour of Brexit. The decision of Brexit will impact the new generations the most as they have most of their life to live under this new rule. 

If students are assumed to have the capabilities of choosing A-levels that will lead on to a final degree, and consequently their career in life, it can be argued they should be able to give an input in matters that will affect their livelihood too!

However, there are different views. For example, from a 16 year old herself, Trisha Arora from JAGS has said, “People our age should not be allowed to vote till they are 18 as there is still a lot of maturing to be done. We may think we are fully capable, but in my opinion we need those 2 years till we’re 18 to mature to the extent that we can make valued decisions of what or who to vote for.”

It is said that the brain is not fully matured until the age of 25, and so by looking at this, it puts into perspective how young 16 really is. 16 year olds could also be influenced by their parents which puts a dent in the validity of the votes as they could be biased. There is also the question of 'when does it end?' 15 year olds may find that the age limit should be the lowered for them, and this could continue causing social havoc amongst younger generations.

There is a lot of controversy on this topic, but the laws do not seem to be shifting any time soon. Do you think that the voting age should be changed, or is it a suitable age that should remain?