Oct 2019
12:47pm, 29 Oct 2019
3,366 posts
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gcwenn
DeeGee, yes people sign up at 16 and 17 years old. But they are not allowed to go on the front line until they are 18. And if they have not got parental permission they can cannot even sign up |
Oct 2019
12:49pm, 29 Oct 2019
5,745 posts
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jda
If you mean the Republic of Ireland, TMW, they already do have the vote in the UK.
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Oct 2019
12:49pm, 29 Oct 2019
9,211 posts
|
rf_fozzy
Of course, in the US during the 2018 Midterm elections, there was finally a case of electoral fraud that the Republican party had been banging on about for so long (whilst instigating widespread voter disfranchisement and suppression tactics along with extreme partisan gerrymandering). Problem was that it was committed by a Republican nominee and his activists. And voter ID and the other laws they wanted wouldn't have stopped it happening. And it was easily detected. |
Oct 2019
1:13pm, 29 Oct 2019
32,947 posts
|
HappyG(rrr)
Crikey, I didn't know Irish citizens could vote in UK general elections. You learn something new every day. gov.uk 16 and 17 year olds make more sense than plenty of older people in society. Glad they can vote in Scotland.  G
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Oct 2019
1:29pm, 29 Oct 2019
2,908 posts
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FenlandRunner
Spot on HappyG. With the education at the finger tips of 16-17 year olds they are in the position to make better informed decisions than some older folk who can barely see past their prejudices.
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Oct 2019
1:35pm, 29 Oct 2019
30,386 posts
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LindsD
Irish citizens have the exact same rights as UK citizens (in the UK) afaik.
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Oct 2019
1:38pm, 29 Oct 2019
9,316 posts
|
larkim
Some 16 yo have the brain power to vote. Some are honestly still just kids. Age is a number, an aribtrary cut off point for practical reasons. My wife teachers in secondary / A level school and is horrified at the thought of the immature 16yos getting a vote. Though I think in her view th 18yos leave a lot to be desired too! However, as for the rest of us common sense / intelligence / capability of rational thought isn't a necessary prerequisite to vote, and on balance I'd be happy with a lower voting age. |
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Oct 2019
1:44pm, 29 Oct 2019
5,746 posts
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jda
At the other end of the scale, it's been sad to watch the cognitive decline of the older generation among my relatives. Even not counting the dementia case (who still has the vote AIUI) another who used to be very engaging and intelligent can't get far beyond trite slogans and soundbites these days. And none of them have any stake in the future of the country beyond a decade at the wildly optimistic end of things.
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Oct 2019
1:57pm, 29 Oct 2019
3,608 posts
|
run free
It would be interesting if there were cognitive tests.... but then that would be discrimination I Guess 🤪
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Oct 2019
2:00pm, 29 Oct 2019
15,399 posts
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Chrisull
I didn't get to vote against Thatcher when I was 17. And now I'm over 30 years older... I still regret not being able to vote against Thatcher was I was 17. My views might be more nuanced now, but the broad swathe of them remains similar.
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