We’re ready to vote
Susan B. Anthony, Bob Moses, Wajeha al-Hawaidar; to name but a few of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to achieving universal suffrage, so that we all may vote. This is not a battle which started and finished with the Suffragettes, or with the black civil-rights campaign, but one that continues today. Women in Saudi Arabia are still awaiting the day in 2015, when, at last, they will be able use their vote for the very first time in their country’s history.
I am 17 and a half years old, and last October marked the second time that I used my right to vote. Jersey, a tiny nine-by-five island, 14 miles off the coast of France; high in off-shore banking accounts, milk and low on…taxes, but more importantly (and perhaps less contentiously) on voting age. In 2008, the States of Jersey, following in the footsteps of Brazil and Nicaragua, decided to extend the right to vote to young people aged 16 and 17. My right to vote is not something that I tend to take lightly. I fully appreciate its levity, and the brazen context in which it was forged. I feel the courage of the Suffragettes drive me as I mark the cross on my ballot paper, bold and unashamed - I would like to disclose that Emmeline Pankhurst did not coerce me into voting for anything or anyone in particular…it was a metaphor.
I have been able to vote since I was 16 and I truly believe it creates more politically minded and motivated individuals. This is why I think that the UK should heed the example of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and lower the voting age to 16. However, over 1.5 million young people my age are still being denied the right to vote across the UK. Therefore, regardless of their interest, politics remains something to be reserved for an exclusive group, something that they must wait until they are ‘old enough’ to participate in on an official level. Despite the fact that, once you turn 16, you are, by law, granted the autonomy to consent to a sexual relationship, make the decision to leave your family home, and be held to justice should you break the law. These legal rights and responsibilities surely demonstrate that turning 16 marks a transition from the dependence and shelter of being a child into the world of adulthood, where you must make choices for yourself, and are trusted to understand the difference between right and wrong. By the age of 17, you are permitted to operate heavy machinery on public roads, but, in the eyes of the law, you are still incapable of making a single political decision that is worth listening to. Yet, the moment you turn 18, after years of political ignorance and insignificance, you are, overnight, now a fully politicised citizen of the UK, whose voice must and will be heard - isn’t it fantastic?
I’d like to make it clear that I fully appreciate this issue does not concern all 16 year olds. Of course, many 16 and 17 year olds are very passionate about politics, and long for the day when their voice will be heard, whose right to vote they consider a privilege which should not be taken for granted. Equally, there are many people over the age of 18 who are acutely unpolitical, and do not use their vote even though they can. This isn’t a collective cry for political freedom, it is a personal one, but one that I know resonates with many, young and not so young people across the UK. Unfortunately, for some young people in the UK and beyond, whether or not they possess the right to vote is of little consequence to them. Yet, from my perspective, this is the issue that needs to be addressed directly, and we can start by lowering the voting age.
Worryingly, I feel that the lack of motivation to vote present in some, but not all, young people is only spurred on by icons like Russell Brand who, in interview with Jeremy Paxman, broadcast a message of organised political indifference to a whole generation of young would-be voters. Instead of using his platform as a role model to so many impressionable young people to politically empower and engage with them, Brand has rather perpetuated the myth that voting is ‘not going to make a difference’. This only irresponsibly encourages the feeling of futility and insignificance that prevents so many young people from engaging with politics.
So, if they aren’t going to use their vote anyway, why should we bother giving it to them?
An excellent, but stupid question. Of course, simply lowering the voting age is not the whole solution to politicising an entire generation of young people, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it. If politics isn’t brought into the forefront of youth consciousness at this early stage, it is obvious that young people will feel disillusioned with the political system. Lowering the voting age is the only way of there even being the slightest chance of increasing the electorate and politicising the next generation, but it isn’t enough. More needs to be done consistently at home, in schools, and at youth centres in order to politically motivate young individuals. And I’m not talking about having some ex-politician try to ‘make politics cool’ by talking about legalising marijuana, or licensing hours, because those are the only things that the youth of today are bothered by. There needs to be serious, contemporary structures in place to prioritise young people’s political education, with the aim of actually making them see the value of their vote, not dissuading them further.
This being said, the recent Scottish referendum saw 100,000 16 and 17 year olds registering to vote for the first time, completely undermining the view that at this age, young people are not mature enough to engage with political decisions. These switched-on and political young individuals clearly demonstrated that they do have a political voice, which they are not prepared to see ignored.
Ultimately, whether or not we are allowed the right to vote should not be judged solely on our age, but our willingness to be heard. Denying so many enriched and intelligent members of society the right to vote only encourages political apathy and feeds this disenchantment with the political system, limiting our capacity to orchestrate change and prohibiting us to rise to the challenges of the future ahead of us.