The Voting Age

Put the world to rights here (off-topic discussion)

At what age should people be allowed to vote in elections and referendums?

Under 16
0
No votes
16
3
18%
17
0
No votes
18 (as it is now in the UK)
7
41%
19
0
No votes
20
1
6%
Over 20
6
35%
 
Total votes: 17

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houston4044
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby houston4044 » Sat Jun 02, 2018 2:20 pm

metaldinosaur wrote:
Ultimately, if such an idea was implemented, young adult workers, without the right to vote, would have to hold their water till they were old enough. They wouldn't be too neglected by the policy makers because people do vote for their kids too. (Remember, Blair's 'education education education' slogan?)

15-18 year olds, still in our education system, are very much at the mercy of the state, but don't get the right to a vote because they're not deemed ready for the responsibility. I'm just suggesting that people in their early 20's still aren't ready either. If the government treats them poorly enough, I'm sure they would remember, and my well vote accordingly when they are old enough.


I get your theory and do agree with it to a point, would be a bureaucratic nightmare to run it though :lol:

I'd keep it at 18 to be honest, at the end of the day you can't legislate for maturity or education so pointless raising it or lowering it. I'd rather focus on changing the voting system rather than the eligibility of who can/can't vote.

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Metalchemyst
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Metalchemyst » Tue Jun 05, 2018 7:57 am

I suppose if we wanted to be logical then voting would also be limited to those who had passed English and maths exams to a basic level. Although I think it suits politicians to have an electorate which is not especially well educated on average.
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Haldamir319
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Haldamir319 » Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:06 am

Metalchemyst wrote:I suppose if we wanted to be logical then voting would also be limited to those who had passed English and maths exams to a basic level. Although I think it suits politicians to have an electorate which is not especially well educated on average.


That sounds dangerously close to creating a class divide in voting. I went to school with a fair few people that would fail the above criteria via one or the other, but are politically aware and active.
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Tankplanker » Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:44 am

I'd be for lowering the voting age, but only if the ballot paper was changed to a small number of multiple choice questions that confirmed you understood your party's political polices.

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Metalchemyst
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Metalchemyst » Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:04 pm

It's not clear how the whole system is supposed to work anyway. Do we vote for . . .

1. A party manifesto?
2. A person to make decisions for the constituents?
3. A person to act on the wishes of the constituents?

You can check on your MP's voting behaviour here:
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
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Metalchemyst
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Metalchemyst » Sun Oct 28, 2018 5:38 pm

I happened to see this article last night:
https://unherd.com/2018/10/absurd-ageism-votes-16/

"The Votes at 16 campaign has to rank as one of the most cynical and opportunistic of our times. Crusades for the extension of the franchise have historically been waged by the masses and resisted by the elites. Votes at 16 is the inverse of this: it holds little appeal in the court of public opinion, but is instead being foisted on us by those in power who have been rocked by the recent political convulsions and want to find a way of stopping any repeat. So their cunning plan is to swell the ranks of the electorate with hordes of new voters who they assume (probably accurately) share their philosophy and will reward them at the ballot box."
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Metalchemyst
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Metalchemyst » Mon Dec 17, 2018 9:26 pm

I just found some more info. relating to this:

https://www.inc.com/laura-montini/when- ... think.html

. . . Vocabulary skills were used as a measure of crystallized intelligence, or the ability to use acquired skills, knowledge, and experience. Another recent study also concluded that the older we get, the stronger crystallized intelligence grows.

Rachael M. Klein, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, studied 3,375 executive-level job candidates, ages 20 to 74. To measure fluid intelligence -- or logical reasoning -- she asked participants to do an activity involving sequences, and to measure crystallized intelligence, she asked participants to complete a vocabulary test.

Klein found that younger candidates out-scored their older counterparts on fluid intelligence quizzes. But older candidates once again dominated when it came to exercising crystallized intelligence skills.
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Haldamir319
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Haldamir319 » Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:00 am

Metalchemyst wrote:It's not clear how the whole system is supposed to work anyway. Do we vote for . . .

1. A party manifesto?
2. A person to make decisions for the constituents?
3. A person to act on the wishes of the constituents?

You can check on your MP's voting behaviour here:
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/


Technically, it's number 2 - you're meant to be voting for the best candidate for your ward (we don't elect delegates, so it's not 3). However, a lot of people vote based on point 1, which is fine in and of itself.
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby slayerslays » Tue Dec 18, 2018 12:46 pm

Metalchemyst wrote:I suppose if we wanted to be logical then voting would also be limited to those who had passed English and maths exams to a basic level. Although I think it suits politicians to have an electorate which is not especially well educated on average.

Yes- it was the Charterhouse public school educated Tony Crosland who got rid of grammar schools so that the working classes had no way out of their situation via education....he obviously wanted to create an underclass who would always vote Labour....

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Re: The Voting Age

Postby jamesv » Mon Jan 28, 2019 7:48 am

Just raise it back to 21

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Tet
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Tet » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:26 pm

i0th wrote:
jamesv wrote:Just raise it back to 21


If they remove income tax and NI contributions from your pay until you're 21 too then fine.

Why do you believe those things should be linked? Income tax is needed to fund running the country. NI is used to fund benefits. Neither of which have any bearing on voting age. It's not like you're buying your right to vote by paying them.
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby bloodofthekings » Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:20 pm

Tet wrote:
i0th wrote:
jamesv wrote:Just raise it back to 21


If they remove income tax and NI contributions from your pay until you're 21 too then fine.

Why do you believe those things should be linked? Income tax is needed to fund running the country. NI is used to fund benefits. Neither of which have any bearing on voting age. It's not like you're buying your right to vote by paying them.


No, but how that income tax is spent is directly linked to which party is in office - if you're old enough to pay it, you're old enough to have a say in how that money is spent

JuanitaTowler
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby JuanitaTowler » Wed Feb 20, 2019 9:25 am

I believe that the age for voting 18 years is quite suitable. By this age, a person has a more or less formed worldview and becomes responsible for his actions.

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Killing_time
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Killing_time » Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:14 pm

In my eyes you're not an adult till you hit 25 years of age so should be 25.
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Re: The Voting Age

Postby Czech's Mate » Thu Mar 07, 2019 9:34 pm

I sometimes wonder if there should be an upper age for voting as well as a lower one.....
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