It has been a heavily discussed debate whether or not 16-year olds should be able to vote in England. The current voting age is 18 in the UK. There are currently only 8 countries that have a voting age of 16, this includes Nicaragua, Scotland, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, and Austria is 16 years.

On one hand, 16 years olds should be able to vote in the UK. One reason people believe this is because 16-year olds in the UK can legally have sex. A consequence of having sex is the possibility of having a child. Many people believe that since you can have this big responsibility at 16, you should be able to vote. Some people don’t believe that it makes sense that you can reproduce but you have no say in what happens in the country you live in.

GCSEs are extremely vital exams, that can shape your future, many people believe that if the government as well as the public, believe that 15/16-year-olds are old enough to take numerous exams which will decide their future, they should be mature enough to vote.

On the other hand, many other people see 16-year-olds as immature and think because 16 years olds do not get charged as an adult, do not get drafted to go to war and marry without parental consent, they should not be able to vote, as an adult. In England, people must stay in education/ apprenticeships until they are 18. A lot of people think that because 16-year olds are still required to stay in school, they shouldn’t get a vote.

There are many arguments for both giving the vote to 16-year olds and refusing to give the vote to 16-year olds.

By Lily-may Scanlon