Enfranchisement of 16yr olds - UK

[GarthVader449]

You're point about someone having a full time job by the time they're 18, meaning they are uneducated, is somewhat true. They may not have qualifications, but doesn't mean they don't have the skills required to be plumbers, joiners etc... Which in turn do not require you to go to Uni before going into that field of work.
So you're statement "not have gone to Uni, thus uneducated, thus no need for them to vote" is quite frankly, wrong. What you have said is that anyone who has not received education -influenced by the Govt.- shouldn't vote.

Part time jobs; still supported by parents, yeah probably, but recent study shows in the UK by the age of 25, 2/3 students(University) still rely on financial support from their parents. So they shouldn't be able to vote? Also, what is the "real world", are you saying that before a certain age you live in a mythical place where money doesn't exist and logical thinking doesn't happen!? I'll think you'll find more and more young people do take serious matters: seriously.

[GarthVader449]

Does it matter that the money they earn isn't used to help pay for bills, there are many people who are on benefits in the UK, don't pay tax, and get all their bills payed for by the Government. Are you saying these people don't have a right to vote because they don't have any income -or little income- to pay towards rent?
Also, doesn't everybody work so they can have money for themselves? Whether it be for food, clothes or a ticket to the cinema.
Policies don't affect 16yr olds, don't they? Lets take an obviously example here; education, it's self explanatory to why it affects them. Tax, as we have already said most of them already pay income tax. That affects them. Really if you think about it, 16yr olds are covered under a lot of policies.

Before students go to University, they need to decide what subjects to take that will allow them to do that course, and most important of all, achieve those grades to get in to University. Your point you made can be said even more so at 16, they are serious about there lives otherwise they wouldn't get into Uni.

[Shadow00]

Does it matter that the money they earn isn't used to help pay for bills, there are many people who are on benefits in the UK, don't pay tax, and get all their bills payed for by the Government. Are you saying these people don't have a right to vote because they don't have any income -or little income- to pay towards rent?
Also, doesn't everybody work so they can have money for themselves? Whether it be for food, clothes or a ticket to the cinema.
Policies don't affect 16yr olds, don't they? Lets take an obviously example here; education, it's self explanatory to why it affects them. Tax, as we have already said most of them already pay income tax. That affects them. Really if you think about it, 16yr olds are covered under a lot of policies.

Before students go to University, they need to decide what subjects to take that will allow them to do that course, and most important of all, achieve those grades to get in to University. Your point you made can be said even more so at 16, they are serious about there lives otherwise they wouldn't get into Uni.

Most kids get into uni cause that's what their parents tell them to.
Look, 16 year olds are just tooooo immature and way easily influenced by flashy things to even bother looking under the surface.
We could be all talking about a utopia here and say that kids care about education etc etc, but !most 16 year olds don't care about that and are just immature and would troll the elections for the lolz.
We don't need voters like that.
IMO, 25 should be a legal age to vote.

[Shadowstar1922]

Just gonna add a few comments...

Does it matter that the money they earn isn't used to help pay for bills, there are many people who are on benefits in the UK, don't pay tax, and get all their bills payed for by the Government. Are you saying these people don't have a right to vote because they don't have any income -or little income- to pay towards rent?
Also, doesn't everybody work so they can have money for themselves? Whether it be for food, clothes or a ticket to the cinema.
Policies don't affect 16yr olds, don't they? Lets take an obviously example here; education, it's self explanatory to why it affects them. Tax, as we have already said most of them already pay income tax. That affects them. Really if you think about it, 16yr olds are covered under a lot of policies.

Before students go to University, they need to decide what subjects to take that will allow them to do that course, and most important of all, achieve those grades to get in to University. Your point you made can be said even more so at 16, they are serious about there lives otherwise they wouldn't get into Uni.

Yes, it does matter because policies don't usually affect cinema dates or Final Fantasy games or holidays to Magaluf.

the youth can still go out with their friends, and care about social media trends and drama and whatnot, while being politically active/educated. Even though yes, you're right that most teenagers are "dominantly immature", not all of them are, and I think creating environments where they yearn to be politically educated wouldn't necessarily have big negative or positive outcome. And no, letting the youth have the right to vote won't create that environment, but it can be a step(though probably not the first step)

If people are abusing benefits, meaning that they're using them as easy money rather than bothering to look for a job and work or educate themselves, then yes, I don't think they should be allowed the privilege to vote. That's only if they're abusing benefits though.

A simple answer to those abusing systems to gain money is to make legislation prohibiting such actions. Example: unemployment benefits; you can only stay on the program for 3-6 months, in that time, you'll either have to find yourself a job, or the government can help you find a job. When the 3-6 months is up, cancel their benefits.

It's compulsory to stay in education until 16, so they can't really show a tendency, can they? And just because there are policies concerning education doesn't mean we relinquish all power of education to students.

I'm pretty sure letting students vote doesn't give them the power to decide how the British education system works, operates, and executes policies, classes, opportunities, etc.

If we did, then I bet you that the education system would go down the shits, because again, point highlight here, 16 year olds are dominantly immature. I look back at myself when I was 16 and I may have seemed to both myself and others that I was mature, but I assure you, I wouldn't give myself the vote despite being educated on politics. I just simply hadn't reached a certain level of maturity.

16 year olds don't necessarily choose to go to College/Sixth Form, only a fraction of them do. Even then, there's absolutely nothing to guarantee they'll end up at University. In addition, a LOT of students say they regret some choices of subjects they make for College/Sixth Form. A lot of people don't achieve the grades though, so the point you've put forward is riddled with uncertainties and big uncertainties at that.

I don't really have a formal opinion on if 16-18 years olds should be given the right to vote, whether it's Britain's political issue or even America's political issue, but I've been keeping up with this topic and I've been itching to give some comments.

[Shadow00]

Enfranchisement of 16 year olds will extend to ALL 16 year olds, not just to the politically aware and apt ones.

this is the main problem. It can't be solved nor treated fast, and since all we want are fast solutions, nothing good will come of this.
My main problem though with this is that the last thing the world needs right now is to have kids manipulated even more by parties, because let's face it, nobody even tries to defend their own opinions, without linking them to some political party just for being part of a group.

[GarthVader449]

Honestly, contrary to most people's opinion, I think the vast majority of 16yr olds are mature enough to make big decisions on politics. I was under the same impression that most 16yr olds are immature, but that changed when all this referendum aroused. I found out, that even those 'immature' ones were able to make educated decisions and even understood most policies and arguments put forward by political figures. So, in my (recent) experience it's not the immature ones that are the problem, it is those with little savvy. And that doesn't tend to change through-out life.
Then again, I could just be living in a small area where we are all kind and generally quite interested in the news/world around us.