Lowering the voting age: a boost for UK democracy or a shot in the dark? | Electoral reform

Since the last fell of the national voting age, half a century, Keir Starmer for the first time, more than a million 16 and 17 -year -old children decided that it was correct.

Expanding franchise, such as gay marriage, smoking prohibitions or birth leave, is a descriptive policy that will be a part of this government’s lasting heritage for the country.

The thought behind the promised movement in Labour’s manifesto is that encouraging young people to vote at an age they are still in great education will convince them to make them a lifelong habit.

There is also a matter of justice. Many young people work and contribute or serve in the army in non -war roles. And the UK and Northern Ireland will align with Scotland and Wales, which the 16 and 17 -year -olds can vote in Hollyrood, Senedd and Local Council elections for some time.

The government’s allegations of election change are about increasing democratic participation, and Starmer says that all young people should have a say in the future of the country. “If you pay, you must have the opportunity to tell you how to spend your money,” he said.

In addition, considering that many people in labor tend to become a leftist historically, there is an unprocessed belief that change can benefit the left. The conservatives were certainly not willing to politics, that the age group could vote, but they could not stand as a candidate, and they could vote, but they could not be allowed to take a lottery ticket, consume alcohol or go to war.

However, the effects of change are far from definite. The 500 16 and 17 -year -old surveys conducted by Merlin strategy for ITV News showed that the Labor Party had the highest support with 33%of reforms and conservatives at 20%. However, half of them thought that they should not be allowed to vote yet, and only 18% said they would definitely vote if they had a election tomorrow.

Only half of them said they had a positive opinion about democracy, and more than fifth, they said they saw a military dictator without government or elections.

The expansion of the Franchise in Scotland and Wales led to mixed consequences. Dr Stuart Fox from Exeter University, who has been researching how to encourage the vote between young age groups, said that the voting age is far from being clear. Increase youth participation. He also proposed more measures such as citizenship training.

“The supporters of the change will indicate great successes, such as the Scottish Independence Referendum, which is greater than the 18 to 21 -year -old children, and will argue that a lower age of vote will help young people enter the voting habit before.

“However, in the last election in 2021, the winner of the vote for the last election is much less attention: only 16 and 17 years of age did not vote, but 16 or 17 votes votes votes, unlike local and Scottish votes are less attention to vote.

Nevertheless, the supporters of the movement think that this is worth a chance and that every attempt to encourage the vote at a time when it published the ballot of the vote of the votes of these appropriate ones in the last election.

Harry Quilter-Pinner, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Policy Studies, said that democracy is in the crisis and that the country is at the risk of çalışma reaching an overturning point in which politics has lost its legitimacy ”.

At the end of the first steps to reduce the age of voting to 16 and the first steps to the automatic voter registration, he could bring up to 9.5 million new people to the democratic process – an important step in rebuilding the system and the pushing of populism back against the powers of populism.