Missing an Opportunity? The Limited Civic Imagination of Votes at 16

Abstract

The debate over reform to the voting age at Westminster elections is dominated by a concept of young people as deficient and disengaged citizens. In the contemporary context of young civic action, new approaches to the civic can support a regeneration of the vote in young people’s expanded political toolbox. A conceptual approach to the debate on voting reform is presented alongside a critical appraisal of the opportunities available, to all sides of the debate, to contribute to young political regeneration.

Lowering the voting age to 16: Young people making a case for political education in fostering voting competencies

“…The analysis developed by Bessant (2020) on the failed attempt in Australia in 2018 to lower the voting age below 18, is of assistance in re-framing the debate as a matter of citizenship, in relation to how minors are misrecognised and misrepresented in a context of democratic crisis. In that sense, we follow the arguments advocated by Bowman (2021) and Loughran et al (2019Loughran et al ( , 2021 that the debate over voting at 16 should be accompanied by the concern of producing proposals to promote youth political engagement more effectively, rather than focusing the problem on the simplistic question of the voting age.…”

“…Finally, it is also important to point out recent research emphasising that ‘adulthood may be in the eye of the beholder rather than a fixed entity’ (Tonge et al, 2021: 505). In this regard, Bowman (2021) argues that a more holistic approach to voting at 16 is needed. This broader perspective demands a discussion that goes beyond the simplistic question of ‘do we allow them to have their say’, towards ‘a more responsive and agile concept of political socialisation than the identification of certain markers of adulthood as appropriate to the accrual of voting rights alongside other rights and responsibilities’ (Bowman, 2021: 592).…”

“…In this regard, Bowman (2021) argues that a more holistic approach to voting at 16 is needed. This broader perspective demands a discussion that goes beyond the simplistic question of ‘do we allow them to have their say’, towards ‘a more responsive and agile concept of political socialisation than the identification of certain markers of adulthood as appropriate to the accrual of voting rights alongside other rights and responsibilities’ (Bowman, 2021: 592). In addition, a more integrated and complex debate over voting at 16 will address the danger that this policy reform may entail, by considering, as Loughran et al (2019, 2021) advocate, a change that may empower mainly the already advantaged (e.g.…”

“…In fact, framing the voting age issue as one of the aspects of a broader question of political inclusion goes at the very core of minors’ citizenship status and rights (Bessant, 2020; Grover, 2011). As stressed by Bowman (2021), it is important not to miss the opportunity to debate voting at 16 in a way that produces a proposal ‘that best accommodates opportunities to address the underlying causes of youth political engagement’ (p. 593).…”