Electoral Administration Bill

My Lords, we have a great deal of sympathy with the noble Lord’s amendment and we want to encourage young people to interest themselves in the political system. We also agree that we should fully appreciate the enormous contribution made by young people to our society. However, we do not believe that lowering the voting age to 16 would achieve either of those ambitions. We find ourselves unconvinced that the low turnout among people aged between 18 and 25—in 2001 it was just 39 per cent—will somehow be increased by the magic of lowering the voting threshold to 16. The argument is that voting can become a habit that a person can become accustomed or even addicted to if only they are exposed to it early enough. Those who speak in defence of this proposal often list a series of rights already held by 16 year-olds. I suggest that the right to vote is the exception to the rule. Under close examination, the argument proves to be rather misleading. Almost alrights held by 16 years are given on a case-by-case and conditional basis by parents, employers and other adults who remain responsible. Parents retain the responsibility over whether their 16 year-old child marries, what their religion is, and what they can do with their property. Companies make the decision on whether to allow a 16 year-old to become a director, and the Armed Forces can decide to give a 16 year-old a very restricted services role. As it stands, a young person considered to be sufficiently mature can be given certain choices, yet it is proposed here to make them bear full responsibility for the consequences of this choice. For example, a 16 year-old is not considered to have reached the age of sufficient capacity for civil proceedings. That is how it should be. Many 16 year-olds, however mature, financially astute or well educated, may not at that age be able to judge what is in their best interests. If that is the case when drawing up a contract, how much more relevant is it to voting in an election? We do not believe that 16 year-olds should bear the full responsibility of the right to vote. We warmly welcome the rising voice of young people through organisations such as youth councils and youth parliaments, as we have in Essex, and hope that their unique experiences will continue to bear weight with those who make decisions that affect their lives. The idea that young people should be seen and not heard is one that long ago ceased to have any relevance. It is also wonderful that large numbers of young people look forward to voting and being able to choose the government of their country. But we do not want to force that responsibility on to those who in so many other areas are judged as not yet able to make important decisions that affect their lives. We would rather allow young people the opportunity to enjoy their youth and protect them from the difficult decisions that adults must make until they ready to do so. We do not support the amendment.