Vote at 16

The current Labour government is planning to allow 16 year olds to vote in future elections. They have said that young people make an economic contribution and can be part of our armed services and so should have that right.  Some 16/17 year olds work, but only with training involved, many don’t and are in full time education.  And you have to be 18 before you can take a front line role in a conflict – although you can join the army at 16.  

I have pretty liberal views about the way society should work and am by no means a one party voter. But I need to be convinced that this is either sensible, or appropriate. We know that many surveys suggest that ‘young people’ tend to have more open and ‘left’ leaning views and that could help a Labour government looking to secure its electable future.  But is it the right thing to do?

I went to the trouble of trying to list the ages at which certain rights and responsibilities can be taken or are given by law.  I came up with this (albeit incomplete) list.  This against a legal context that children in England are defined as anyone who has not yet reached age 18. 

Age 16. 

Leave home without parental consent but until 18 Parents retain responsibility for their wellbeing Open a bank ac-savings under defined conditions and are entitled to a min wage that is lower than at 18

Can start full time work 

Can consent to sex

Can rent accommodation but may need a guarantor until 18

Choose own doctor

Get a passport with parents consent

Claim benefits if they have a child

Change their name 

Can get a licence to drive a moped

Are allocated a NI number 

Can join the army with parental consent – no active front line service until age 18

There is a different court system and secure custodial arrangements for under 18s

At 16 you can consent to medical treatment (although your parents have a responsibility for your well being?) 

Age 17

Can apply for a provisional driving licence for car etc 

Can drink beer wine cider with a meal in a restaurant if with an adult

Can claim benefits 

Can hold a private pilots licence 

Can train to be an Officer in the armed forces

Can be interviewed by the police without an appropriate adult being present

You can be charged as an adult for crimes

You can’t enter into contracts for large purchases or agreements 

18

Full adult rights

Purchase alcohol and tobacco

Marry without parents consent

Stand for public office MP Councillor 

Enter into contracts independently 

Can have a tattoo or body piercing

Can watch a 18 film

Can serve on a jury

Can vote

Can fight in a war

The obvious first impression is that there seems to be little coherency and many inconsistencies  in how rights and responsibilities are passed on legally according to age in our UK system.  Each appears to have been looked at independently, although I’m sure our lawmakers made a stab at  trying to bring some order when faced with new decisions. But it remains, for instance, the case that you can’t buy or drink alcohol at 16, although many do, but you can consent to sex; you can’t learn to drive a (safer) car, but can drive a moped on a provisional driving licence.

What do we think are the main or key factors that should lead us to increasing the voting franchise to 16 year olds? What sort of hierarchy should apply to the legal rights we should have for young people?  Is having the vote one of the principal adult responsibilities that should be accorded to a person?  Is it a less important right- responsibility than say fighting in a war, or serving on a jury, or indeed being able to stand for public office?  Should having the right to vote not mean that you should be able to accept full adult responsibilities for matters that you might get to vote on eg. go to war,  changing our legal system itself, voting as we did on a matter like Brexit? To be able to vote for parties that declare to change our laws not mean that those laws should (generally) apply to you and you actions, not future ones when you are older?

Or does it mean that all other ages related laws would have to be adjusted to match the new voting age ? 

None of that takes into account when we might understand ‘adultness’ to be a state we reach in our human development.  Obviously, an age of adulthood doesn’t exist in any reality ; its a societal construct. But it is a view about man, or womanhood, we have reached over a very long period of time. If we are to pass the legal adult right to vote to 16 year olds we need to understand and be able to support the view that 16 years olds can be trusted to act as adults in helping to decide our futures through the central plank of our democracy – the individual vote.

I am not convinced – but I could be…..