Voting age to drop to 16

[SpóirtFest]

The Constitutional Convention has recommended that the voting age be lowered to 16. Seeing as this is then likely to happen, what do people think, do 16 year olds have the maturity or nous to vote effectively? As opposed to the rest of us who do such a good job, but that's a different debate.

So they will be able to vote, but not drink or legally have sex (males) or hold a full driving licence.

 

[Pontipine]

Definetly would agree with the dropping of age. Any 16 year old i know would know plenty of what's going on. They should be allowed to vote.

 

[collapsedfaceman]

they'll be all finger banging each other and smoking mary jane in the polling booths.
good idea, most wont have allegiances to parties and will have open minds about who to vote for.

 

[Blueswannabe]

Definetly would agree with the dropping of age. Any 16 year old i know would know plenty of what's going on. They should be allowed to vote.

This PLUS they can't make a worse decision than the adults have made now, can they? Most won't bother and those that do will know why they're voting. I support it. Many 16 year olds are more informed than college students voting 'the way their parents told them'.

 

[JohnJoePo]

they'll be all finger banging each other and smoking mary jane in the polling booths.
good idea, most wont have allegiances to parties and will have open minds about who to vote for.

I sincerely hope that's the case, But I fear all it will do is lend more votes to families who are staunch supporters of one party or the other 2 years quicker than they would get them in the normal run of things.

With any luck it will oust the Russel Brand's of this world and teach the youth to engage with the political system.
I would hope that the "XXXX Party can't win here !!! " type of campaigning I see here in the UK does not go on at home, or if it does it is stamped out as I find this message incredibly disenfranchising.

It's basically saying "look, what you want is never going to happen, so vote for us just to stick it to that other guy".....

Great message there.

 

[Lady]

So they will be able to vote, but not drink or legally have sex (males) or hold a full driving licence.

The legal age of consent in Ireland is 17 for males and females so yes, they would legally be allowed to vote but not consent to sex.

I think it might be a good idea to lower the voting age. It might make people have an interest in politics earlier on in life.

 

[Goatz]

The Government will impose conscription soon. Its the only reason to give a sixteen year old the vote. After a year of conscription the transformed are released and given the vote to hang on his or her wall.

 

[Hordes'a'Fopperies]

The Constitutional Convention has recommended that the voting age be lowered to 16. Seeing as this is then likely to happen, what do people think, do 16 year olds have the maturity or nous to vote effectively? As opposed to the rest of us who do such a good job, but that's a different debate.

So they will be able to vote, but not drink or legally have sex (males) or hold a full driving licence.

They are no more or less qualified to ruin this country than the 'adults' who got Ireland into its mess in the first place by electing people without imposing real accountability...

 

[jeepers]

There's a fair chance that there will actually be a bit of idealism instead of the more jaded voting patterns we see at the moment. Probably a boost for the independents.

 

[DogTheLangerHunter]

They won't be any less ill-informed than their parents.