Lowering the Voting Age

The first Constitutional Convention Plenary Meeting of 2013, held on 26th - 27th January, voted in favour of lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 for all elections. These recommendations will be presented to the Government for decision along with the Convention's other decisions.

Caoimhe Troy, a TY student on work experience in my office this week (and interesting week to be in Leinster House!) talks about the pros and cons of reducing the voting age to include those under 18.

The recent proposal to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 (or 17) has sparked a lot of speculation nationwide. There has been mixed reaction to this new idea, some positive, others negative. A recent Irish opinion poll showed that 30% of people were for the motion, 56% against, and 14% had no opinion. As a sixteen-year-old myself, I'm not certain with which side my loyalty lies. I can see and appreciate both sides of the argument. 

Taking the side in favour of the motion first:

                                                                      The Pros

• When young people turn 16, they are entitled to other rights, for example, they can drive and pay tax. Can't the right to vote go in the same basket as all of the other rights at seventeen?

• At school, all teenagers study C.S.P.E (Civic, Social and Political Education). Voting while still at school i.e. aged 16 or 17 would be a great way to put the values learned in C.S.P.E into practice. 

• Usually when teenagers reach 18, they have left secondary school, and have moved on to employment or college. As a result of this, they haven't an awful lot of knowledge about voting. If the voting age was reduced, young people would still be in school when they are eligible to vote. They could then be taught in school about voting, and be more informed about the subject when needs be. I think if this was the case, young people would be more likely to vote as they have more confidence knowing more about it.  

           However, some very good points are made by those against reducing the voting age:

                                                            The Cons

• Some of the people in my age bracket have a great interest in politics. However, a lot of them feel disconnected from it.  This is possibly because they feel they don't have a voice in the world of politics today. If the voting age is reduced, I feel that only a small percentage of                                                                sixteen or seventeen-year-olds would vote.

• Turning 18 is something of a milestone for young people. This is because in the eyes of society, you are recognised as an adult when you turn 18. Another reason is that you are entitled to new rights, such as consuming alcohol, and of course, voting. If the voting age was reduced, some people believe it would take away  from the sense of pride and new-found responsibility people feel when they turn 18.

• Finally, reducing the voting age might not be a wise idea because different people mature at different ages. At 16, a lot of teenagers haven't fully matured, and might be unable to make an accurate or sensible vote. The ability to vote, or the feeling of being obliged to vote brings a new stress to the lives of teenagers, who are that bit younger than 18, and not quite as mature.

As I've said before, I'm between two minds on the subject of reducing the voting age. However, I think I'm more inclined to veer towards the side against the proposal. This is because I strongly agree with the point about turning 18 being an important societal milestone.

Saying that, I really do believe that whatever decision is made will bring its own advantages to politics in Ireland. In particular, that we are debating the role of young people in politics in the first place and how we engage our youth with politics is a positive measure.


For more information on The Constitutional Convention and the upcoming issues it will consider, you can visit https://www.constitution.ie/