18th December | Julie Elliot MP secured a debate in Westminster Hall on votes for 16 and 17 year-olds. Ms Elliott said that the Scottish Government’s proposal to extend the franchise for the referendum on Scottish independence to 16 and 17 year-olds had ‘reignited the issue of votes at 16 at a national level.’
With that in mind, it seems the right time to reconsider lowering the voting age to 16 in all elections and referendums held in the UK.
7th November | The Northern Ireland Assembly joins Scotland and Wales in sending clear message to Westminster that the voting age should be lowered. 51 MLAs backed a notion proposed by Megan Fearon of Sinn Fein – Stormont’s youngest member – and the Green Party’s Stephen Agnew, with both nationalist parties, the Ulster Unionists and the Alliance, amongst those in favour.
1st November | Argentina joins a (slowly but surely) growing list of Countries to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority of 131 to two.
22nd October | Following the Scottish agreement Lord Tyler announces The Voting Age (Comprehensive Reduction) Bill which would extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds in all elections and referenda in the United Kingdom. He argues that “It isn’t good enough for Scots young people to be heard, just once, on this vital question, and then ignored thereafter, and worse still that English, Welsh and Northern Irish young people will continue not having a say at all.”
15th October | David Cameron and Alex Salmond sign a deal that will not only see Scotland vote on its independence but will also extend the right to vote on this issue to 16 and 17 year olds. The hope for Votes at 16 supporters is that this paves the way for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in all future elections and referendums.
4th July | The Welsh Assembly demonstrated their support for Votes at 16 by voting in favour of lowering the voting age. Although the assembly has no powers to change the law, AMs in favour of votes at 16 say the institution should send a positive message about young people’s involvement in the democratic process.
25th January | The Scottish Government launched a consultation ‘Your Scotland, Your referendum’ to find out what people think the ballot paper for the Scottish referendum should say, and also who should be able to vote in this referendum. Question 7 is on votes at 16: “What are your views on extending the franchise to those aged 16 and 17 years who are eligible to be registered on the electoral register?”