Give The Youth A Chance
The cause for reducing the voting age is gathering momentum.
Julie Morgan, former MP of Cardiff North, started a campaign for votes at 16. At 16 we can leave education, get married, start a family, join the armed forces, work full time and pay taxes. When we are 16 we are classed as adults. Why can't we choose who runs the country? Why can't we take part in a choice that will affect the rest of our lives?
My view on the voting age is that it is an unfair system. I believe that politics has changed and is still changing. The youth are more aware of politics today. This is because of lessons such as Citizenship in school which I had to do for GCSE.
I started watching the general election; actually listening to what they were saying. I started understanding what was going on. I wanted a certain party to get into power but since I didn't have the right to vote, I felt powerless.
I asked Sam, a 16 year old student who is currently studying AS Levels, what he thinks of the voting age. He replied with "I think the government thinks too little of people below 17. They think they are incapable of making a justified decision. As young adults we are capable of making our own choices. We should have our say as political issues do not only concern those favoured for the right to vote."
The coalition government is currently doing nothing to support votes at 16. What they do not realise is that the youth who are interested will lose interest if they do not have their say. There is nothing to spark their interest considering that we are not allowed to make a difference.
If this doesn't change, the youth of our nation will continue to lose interest, and the turnouts will continue to decrease.
Mr Pontin, a politics teacher in Llanishen High School, after asking him "Do you believe the voting age should be lowered?" he replied: "Yes, I think it should be changed. I think the biggest reason is if you are 18 now, the next chance to get to vote is when you are 23. It's not so much about 16 year olds but getting 19, 20 year olds interested in using their votes as well. The next general election will be in 5 years time, it's not very fair as you will have to wait a very long time for your vote."
In conclusion, I think that the youth deserve the right to vote. We have watched the older generation make decisions that affect out lives for too long.
We have been living in chains created by our elders' choices. If we are given the right to vote, we can contribute to choices that affect everyone's lives.
Abraham Lincoln once said "If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance." I believe that the youth deserve this chance.
Written by Josh
IMAGE: Michael Wade >>>WonderMike<<<
1 Comment – Post a comment
katy
Commented 30 months ago - 18th November 2010 - 13:30pm
I Think this is an excellent piece! I agree!