Bristol pupils on why they must have the vote

Following the age divisions exposed in the vote to leave the EU, there have been calls in Bristol for the voting age to be lowered.

About 100 young people, most of whom were pro-EU, gathered on College Green on Wednsday to call for the age limit to be lowered to 16.

We asked three pupils from schools in Bristol to write a short post explaining their views on the voting age.

Olivia Mowl, 16, Bristol Cathedral Choir School

Whatever it has been branded, as a young person dealing with the shock of the decision, one thing has become clear: the lack of say my generation has.

I will admit that the fact that 16-year-olds were not given the vote before didn’t really faze me, as I failed to see how these types of changes affected us.

The reason for this was probably the lack of information I was given. We weren’t given a voice, so why should people waste their time educating us on politics when we are pretty much helpless?

As an impressionable young person I decided to inform myself on the matter.

I come from a split family, one side backing Leave and the other Remain.

I experienced the nature of this divide personally, and listened to both arguments to shape my own opinion.

I also researched the referendum, so I knew the facts. From this I decided that I wanted to stay in the EU, as I could see limited positivity’s to leaving.

I was ready to vote and knew my stuff, and I would have voted responsibly and with thought.  

Brexit has opened my eyes to how much of a change I could make if I was only given the chance.

When I turned 16 I thought that big changes would happen, and they did. I can now marry and join the armed forces.

But I can’t affect a vote that has the most effect on me and my generation.

75 per cent of young people ( aged 18–24) voted to remain, showing our desire to be in control of our future.

Why shouldn’t I have a say in this nation’s decisions when I have to suffer the consequences?

Preia Strong, 15, Cotham School

The decisions that voters make concerning the people who represent us and what our country does not only affects the adults making that decision but also the youth who are ineligible to make them. 

If a level of responsibility comes with age then why can’t a 16 year old vote? Maturity and seriousness can always be questioned from someone of that age voting but why should you not be entitled to a voice in the community because you’re young?

Wouldn’t you feel a sense of unfairness if everyone else has a say in what happens to you but you? The young population do sincerely care and I think that if adults can vote to change my life then I should be a part of these decisions as well.

Lowering the voting age to 16 would make a difference because you’re allowing a new perspective and range of views to impact what happens to everyone else.

In my opinion, I think that little things and chains of events lead to the future. Allowing the voting age to be lowered to 16 could change the future down the line.

I think that people have the ability to change their future and placing a voting card in a ballot box could be the start.

I think the voting age should lowered because the small two- year difference between someone who’s 16 and 18 could make a big difference in the end.  

Megan Gillespie, 15, Redland Green School

The media is one of the biggest influences on today’s teenagers. However, the media often has a tendency to lie, or “bend the truth”, in order to support the political opinions of the publication in question.

Because of this, teenagers are often presented with very one-sided views of major political issues that directly affect them and their futures. 

Lowering the voting age without providing mandatory political education to secondary school students across the country could be an issue, as many 16-year-olds do not have access to the right information that would help them to make an informed decision.

But if teenagers were further educated in politics we would be capable of making the important decisions that I believe we have the right to be involved in.

Studying politics at school could also help to get more teenagers from different backgrounds involved in politics, which could help to create a more diverse government. 

Involving 16-year-olds in politics would also lead to an increase in the number of youth votes, which the recent EU referendum showed to be an issue, as only 36 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted. 

Increasing the amount of young people voting would help to bring more attention to issues that affect younger generations and could also increase the amount of people involved in politics in the future. This, in turn, would allow decisions to be made that accurately reflect the opinions of the general public. 

Overall, I believe that lowering the voting age would not only benefit young people today but politics as a whole – although in order to do this the government needs to provide teenagers with the right resources to allow us to have a say in the decisions that will shape our futures. 

Read more: ‘How to cope with post-Brexit blues’