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Britain to lower voting age to 16 before next national election, government announces

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by Gatorrick22, Jul 17, 2025 at 11:29 AM.

  1. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

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    This is one of those maneuverers that is NOT just out of the blue or simply "the right thing to do," and we will find out the truth about this desperation move by the Labour Party. There are NO coincidences in politics and everything like this move has a reason, but this move to lower the voting age to 16 might have more than one.

    Why are the British (Labour Party) really doing this?



    London — Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections.

    Britain will join a short list of countries where the voting age is 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament, but not their national legislatures.

    The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign finance rules to stop shell companies with unclear ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating political candidates.



    Britain to lower voting age to 16 before next national election, government announces
     
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  2. Contra

    Contra GC Hall of Fame

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    I don’t believe it is a good idea long term to lower the voting age to include teenagers. What is forgotten in a decision like this is decision quality…or wisdom that comes from living more years of life. A move like this diminishes the voting power of those with more wisdom in life gained from years of experience, and it puts that in the hands of youth, who have very little wisdom imparted to them from life experiences. Even adults of many years can make bad decisions, but this makes it even more likely that the populace would vote in ways that are shortsighted and harmful in the long term to a nation. I would not be surprised if the Democratic Party eventually pushed for something like this because it would shift the voting margins favorably in their direction.

    We should remember that youth formed a powerful demographic block in communist revolutions and also in Nazi Germany. Youth are the most easily led astray by political fads and utopian ideologies, which are historically the most dangerous to a society and a nation. They are the easiest targets for revolutionary ideologies that seek to tap into the naivety of youth.
     
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  3. cron78

    cron78 GC Hall of Fame

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    Wondering what the age range of the immigrant population is versus long-term British citizens and if that affects the Labour Party (center-left-socialist) making this proposal.
     
  4. gator_fever

    gator_fever GC Hall of Fame

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    We know why leftists want the age lowered. So they have more voters under their leftist indoctrination in schools allowed to vote
     
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  5. mrhansduck

    mrhansduck GC Hall of Fame

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    I can see arguments given that governments pick and choose at what age young people have various obligations and/or various rights. If 16 and 17 year olds are subject to taxation and subject to be charged as adults when they commit crimes, it seems fair to ask whether they should have a voice in terms of who is passing laws which affect them. Personally, I'm okay with a voting age of 18 here, but I think 18 year olds should be legally permitted to drink alcohol, for example.
     
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  6. BLING

    BLING GC Hall of Fame

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    Some of our dumbest posters are in their 70’s and 80’s, and “years of wisdom” did absolutely nothing for them imo. If it were based on wisdom or intellect and elderly fail to demonstrate that, by that logic people ought to have their voting rights stripped based on intellectual defect or when they hit retirement age, but we don’t do that in this country (actually we have a bizarro arrangement where the “retired” are actually the most politically engaged… I guess because they have more free time to consume cable newz and Facebook… and the youth have the least engagement).

    The clearer position is when a society considers a person an adult or of “legal age” to make decisions. For most things we arbitrarily set it at 18. We do have some where it’s 21 for alcohol and guns. Some jurisdictions give people a degree of autonomy at 16, so it isn’t totally without merit to extend voting rights down to 16. But I prefer leaving it at 18. Not familiar with any effort to change that here. Per the article, seems like this is something parts of the UK (Scotland and Wales) were already doing anyway, and they had this in their platform in 2024. Not a fan, but why should we care here???
     
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  7. DesertGator

    DesertGator VIP Member

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    While I agree with the sentiment, it should be noted that age does not always equal wisdom.
     
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  8. RIP

    RIP I like touchdowns Premium Member

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  9. Contra

    Contra GC Hall of Fame

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    I agree, but it is generally true when we examine age groups on the aggregate.
     
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  10. mrhansduck

    mrhansduck GC Hall of Fame

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    This reminds me of perceptions about Hispanic voters being inherently left-wing; I'm not sure it's a given that younger voters are inherently left-wing. The voting age is 16 in Argentina, and I believe Melei did quite well among younger voters generally (I do not see polling which focused on 16 and 17 year olds specifically). Perhaps his support was an anomaly, but it's possible that he appealed to younger voters because they will ultimately bear the brunt of high debt and inflation.
     
  11. duggers_dad

    duggers_dad GC Hall of Fame

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    Sidenote: at last check, the most popular boy’s name in UK - Muhammad.
     
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  12. Contra

    Contra GC Hall of Fame

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    I think we should care because the voters are in many ways the rulers in a republic. How competent the government is matters, and an increasingly incompetent voter base will affect who gets elected. The importance of this issue is why this forum exists in the first place.

    To answer your objection about why we don’t remove people from voter rolls due to intelligence, that is a sticky question because someone would have to be appointed to do it. It is wishful thinking to assume it would not be politically weaponized. I could easily see the government creating an “intelligence” test that looks like this:

    1. True or False: Donald Trump initiated an insurrection on January 6th, 2021.​

    2. True or False: Masks helped stop the spread of COVID.​

    3. True or False: White supremacy is a threat to democracy.​

    4. True or False: The vaccine was safe and effective.​

    5. True or False: Climate change is a national security threat.​
     
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  13. 92gator

    92gator GC Hall of Fame

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    Certainly a lot of mayors of UK's biggest cities too.

    No bueno...
     
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  14. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Interesting. Younger kids will likely just not vote or vote like their parents do. It's the 18-30 year olds that will lean most left and as they age lean right.

    It seems 16 year olds voting will often just be a second vote for the parent.
     
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  15. gaterzfan

    gaterzfan GC Hall of Fame

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    I’ve always wondered what happened to someone to cause them to remain a liberal into old age. Why did they never “get real” and change?
     
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  16. ufhomerj31

    ufhomerj31 GC Legend

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    I wish there was a basics civic test folks need to pass to help people understand what they are voting for. For example what local, city, state , federal government are supposed to do. To much focus at top, where the focus should really be state to local.
     
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  17. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    UK Eurotrash, why should we care? ( did I get that right?)
     
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  18. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    I get your point, but why do we care? We fought a war to not have to care what England does. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2025 at 8:43 AM
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  19. WC53

    WC53 GC Hall of Fame

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    What age were yall when you took stuff seriously and researched topics. Hell, I was probably 50! ;)
     
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  20. TheGator

    TheGator Basement Gator Fan Premium Member

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    So just hire more rap and pop stars to support the campaign. Sounds easy enough to win.