Why are young people calling for Votes at 16? Local member Haydn has written an article for the intergenerational foundation explaining. Haydn and other Greens have been to fresher’s fairs in Hereford and are busy getting a Young Greens branch set up here in Herefordshire. Get in touch for more info.
“In 1867, John Stuart Mill led the first ever parliamentary debate on Women’s Suffrage. There was outrage. The all-male 19th century corridors of power argued that there was no way a woman could come to her own logical conclusion as to who she would vote for, and that surely, she would just double her husband’s vote. Today, the same false argument is being applied to discussions around Votes at 16. Opponents of this campaign argue that 16 and 17 year-olds would simply vote how their parents do.
Similarly, on the green benches of 1867, MPs argued that women were too uneducated to vote and were incapable of thinking politically. The same rhetoric is used today concerning 16 and 17 year-olds. Here is why both standpoints are easily proven wrong.
Young people have unprecedented access to news and current affairs
My generation of young people have more access to news and current affairs than any previous generation in large part due to the rise of the internet and social media platforms. Information is more readily available, easier to access and easier to engage with.
Young people are becoming more politically active
Young people’s political protest groups are growing around the world. In October 2024, a group of young Canadians won a landmark climate change lawsuit against the Ontario government. We all know what Fridays for Future is thanks to the political activism of Greta Thunberg and others. Simply put, politics and action is no longer the domain of older generations.“
More at https://www.if.org.uk/2025/01/14/why-are-young-people-calling-for-votes-at-16/