EXTENDING THE VOTING FRANCHISE
“Given that the evidence clearly points toward the representative benefits of lowering the voting age to 16, the
question then arises as to why such a move has not been universal among
democracies.”
that elections have played in that country’s history. Cultural factors may also shape views on the age of electoral majority, as will age-related restrictions on other activities such as working, driving, marrying and serving in the military. For this reason it is not possible to specify an ‘ideal’ age threshold for voting. Each democratic public must deliberate on the matter and make up its own mind.
At the same time, the recent move toward lowering the franchise suggests that it is a debate worth holding. When people have engaged with the issues and considered the arguments for and against different voting ages, they have historically tended to opt for lower thresholds. Whether lowering the voting age will truly lead to greater voter engagement remains to be seen; what is clear is that this is currently a ‘hot topic’ in the area of electoral reform.
References 1
Ace Project database at
Council of Europe, ‘Expansion of democracy by lowering the voting age to 16’, Report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
AceProject.org. 2
Document 12546, 2011. 3
Mark Franklin. 2004. Voter Turnout and the Dynamics of Electoral Competition in Established Democracies Since 1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Yosef Bhatti and Kasper M. Hansen. 2012. ‘Leaving the Nest and the Social Act of Voting: Turnout among First-Time Voters’, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties 22: 380–406; Yosef Bhatti,
Press. 4
Kasper M. Hansen and Hanna Wass 2012, ‘The relationship between age and turnout: A roller-coaster ride’, Electoral Studies 31.3: 588-93; Alex Folkes. 2004. ‘The Case for Votes at 16’, Representation 41: 52-66; Laura Konzelmann, Corina Wagner and Hans Rattinger. 2012, ‘Turnout in Germany in the Course of Time: Life Cycle and Cohort Effects on Electoral Turnout from 1953 to 2049,
Electoral Studies 31: 250-61. 5
John H. Aldrich, Jacob M. Montgomery and Wendy Wood. 2011, ‘Voting as a Habit’, Political Behavior 33: 535–63; Alan S. Gerber, Donald P. Green and Ron Shachar. 2003. ‘Voting May Be Habit-Forming: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment’, American Journal of Political
Science, 47.3: 540–550; Eric Plutzer. 2002, ‘Becoming a Habitual Voter: Inertia, Resources, and Growth in Young Adulthood’. American
Political Science Review 96: 41-56. 6
Sarah Birch and Guy Lodge.
2015. ‘Compulsory Voting for First- Time Voters in Britain’, Political
Quarterly 86.3. 7
Sarah Birch, Harold Clarke and Paul Whiteley. 2015. ‘Should Sixteen Year Olds be Given the Vote in Westminster Elections?’, Parliamentary Affairs 68.2: 291-313.
The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Three | 179
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