Last Friday the 13th September, hundreds of people from across the UK gathered at Queen’s University Belfast to call on the Northern Ireland Executive to extend the right to vote in elections to 16- and 17-year-olds in Northern Ireland. The grassroots, youth-led campaign is supported by Politics in Action.
Northern Ireland is the only devolved region where 16 and 17 years olds can’t vote in local elections. The Labour Party have committed to extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds in their manifesto, however it is unclear whether this will apply across the UK.
The Conference will host world leading experts on Votes at 16, including Dr Jan Eichhorn of the University of Edinburgh, whose research highlighted the increase in voter turnout and the positive voter behaviours associated with lowering the age of voting.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Votes at 16 youth campaign group said:
“Young people are not just future citizens – we are full and equal citizens in the present day. 16- and 17-year-olds can get married, work, pay taxes, care for loved ones, even join the army. We use public services. We have an active stake and interest in how society is governed. Yet, we are denied a democratic voice. Evidence shows that allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote will have a beneficial effect on young voter turnout, as well as reducing inequalities in political participation.”
“Supported by experts and evidence of how this has made a positive difference in Scotland and Wales, today’s event provides an opportunity to learn from experiences across the UK and discuss the importance of high-quality political and civic education in the curriculum.
“With a new UK Government in place and the NI Executive restored, now is the time to build trust and participation in politics with young people. Reducing the voting age would send a clear signal that politicians care about our future and that our voice matters.”
“We know that the majority of politicians in Northern Ireland support lowering the voting age and we will continue to make the case on the positive benefits this will generate for politics more broadly. We are calling for the Executive to progressing this with the NI Secretary of State to ensure young people’s voices are heard. “
Speaking on the evidence from Scotland, Dr Jan Eichhorn of the University of Edinburgh said:
“Scotland has maintained a boost in electoral engagement among first-time voters enfranchised at 16 or 17…There is a significant follow-through effect in voter turnout among young people who experienced and were allowed to vote in their first election at ages 16 or 17. This suggests a lasting positive effect of being allowed to vote from 16 on young people’s voter turnout as they grow up.”
Dr Ryan Feeney, Vice-President for Governance and External Affairs, and Registrar at Queen’s University Belfast, said:
“Queen’s has a proud history of opening its doors to facilitate political debate and dialogue. Just last year we hosted world leaders past and present to mark 25 years since the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement and today we are pleased to host Politics in Action and a generation of politically engaged young people to discuss pertinent issues as they look to their future.”
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O’Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
