The idea of increasing the voting age to 21 has been floated recently.
The right to vote has been fixed at 18 for 50 years, but now it’s being said that those younger than 21 are too immature to vote, possibly because we’re growing up slower than we used to. This is a terrible idea! If the voting age were to be increased to 21, a lot of young adults would feel left out, and it could lead to much anger.
The decisions made by voters today are bound to have a longer-lasting impact on younger people, so it will only add insult to injury if we are barred from voting in our own interests.
Although I myself have been able to vote for a couple of years now, I believe the voting age should drop down to 16 to give young adults a say in the big issues that affect their lives. The idea that young adults are immature is just a conspiracy, probably on the part of the parties who benefit from the ‘grey vote’, such as the Conservatives and UKIP.
Along with the voting age being lowered to 16, I think that the government should place a cap on the voting age. In my opinion those older than 65/70 should no longer be able to vote because, let’s face it, they do not have that long left to live with the consequences of their decisions. Unlike those of us under-21, who will have to spend the rest our lives dealing with what they have done.
The case in point is the Brexit referendum of 2016, when the grey vote swung the result against the young. Already, according to Sky News, elderly Leavers have died in such large numbers that if the vote were taken again it would now be for Remain.
Surely it’s only right that voting should be oriented towards those who have to live longer with the consequences, and weighted against those who have less to lose.
