Discuss - Government Minimum Voting Age - Reduce the minimum voting age to 16 and over

Are you in favour of reducing the minimum voting age to 16?

Alliance Party Alliance will support �Votes at 16'. Young people have a stake in society. They can pay taxes and participate in the services. It is inconsistent to deny young people the right to have their say in the future.

Conservative The Conservative party has historically opposed allowing voting at 16 years of age. Former children's minister Tim Loughton stated that 'the party would be better off focusing on increasing the number of 18- to 24-year-olds that vote'. Source: http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1147153/conservative-party-conference-votes-supported

Green Party The voting age for all elections, and the age at which people may take seats at any level of Government, would be reduced to 16. Source: Green Party Manifesto

Labour Labour will "Give 16 and 17 year olds the vote." Source: Labour Party Manifesto, http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/89012f856521e93a4d_phm6bflfq.pdf

Liberal Democrat The Liberal Democrats would introduce votes at age 16 for elections and referenda, and attempt to make it easier to register to vote in schools and colleges. Source: Liberal Democrat pre-2015 Manifesto

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru's Lord Dafydd Wigley recently (Nov 2014) tabled an amendment that could empower the Assembly to determine if 16 year olds could vote. Speaking at a debate, he said, 'Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for the lowering of the voting age in Wales to 16 years old'. Source: http://www.partyofwales.org/news/2014/11/11/plaid-cymru-acts-to-grant-votes-at-16/

Respect Party Respect supports allowing the electorate to vote at age 16, saying 'they can get married, join the army and the taxes of many 16 year olds help to provide benefits for all of us. It is only right that they receive the right to vote to choose how those taxes should be spent.' http://www.respectparty.org/national/votes-for-16-year-olds/

SNP The Scottish National Party support lowering the voting age to 16, and are in support of the 'Votes at 16' campaign, a national group of UK youth organisations and political parties that are in favour of reducing the voting age to 16 for all public elections. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Votes_at_16 www.votesat16.org

UKIP UKIP are against lowering the age of voting to sixteen years of age. "The voting age should not be lowered from 18 to 16, says deputy UKIP leader Paul Nuttall. “Sixteen-year-olds do not have enough life experience to make sound judgements when voting and consequently I am against reducing the age limit.” Source: http://ukipnw.org.uk/voting-age-should-not-be-lowered/

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