In an op-ed in The Guardian, British 17-year-old Ciaron Farrell says the U.K. should lower its voting age to 16. He writes, “Young people should have a right and an opportunity to shape their future, and the future of the country, at a time when they are having to decide what examination subjects to take to shape their future careers and, in turn, their lives.”
Farrell says it is true that “on the surface,” his generation “seems to be disengaged from politics and the political process,” but argues that is because of disenfranchisement. “By making the voting age lower and, in turn, the general stance and importance of young people’s engagement in politics higher,” he writes, “we gain the responsibility and respect desired to make the voices of young people heard.”
