THE VOTING age should be reduced to 16 to force political parties into action on issues affecting young people, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland’s (NYCI) campaign, A New Age in Voting.
At a meeting with youth councils from Denmark, Austria and the UK, the NYCI said while young people in Ireland can work, pay tax, and join the Army below the age of 18, they are excluded from the electoral process. This leaves disparities between the rights and responsibilities of young people, which need to be addressed.
In a number of EU countries the voting age has been reduced to 16 in local elections, with 16-year-olds able to vote in national elections in Austria. “There seems to be a lot of momentum . . . it’s not a case of if, but when 16-year-olds can vote in Ireland,” said James Doorely, assistant director of the NYCI.
