ISSU Statement:

The National Student Executive of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) regrets the decision that has been made to disregard holding a referendum for the lowering of our voting age. Despite previous recommendations from the constitutional convention and Government promises made in 2013, a referendum on this matter will not take place in conjunction with the two referenda which are due to take place later this year.

Speaking this afternoon, Craig McHugh (President) said;

“This is extremely disappointing. We and other youth organisations have been preparing and working towards this referendum. There is a growing appetite among young people to influence real democracy and to contribute to shaping our country by voting at a younger age. Conversations and discussions need to take place on this matter. We cannot ignore what young people want from their country and this question should be put to the public for decision. We will continue to campaign on lowering the voting age to 16

Young Greens Statement:

The government’s decision to row back on plans to call a referendum on the voting age is once again indicative of the contempt they hold the people of this country in. People over the age of 16 in this country are taxed as adults and charged as adults for the use of most state and private facilities, yet are not allowed to have any input into the processes that the state charges them for. The continual disenfranchisement of young adults in this country is part of the reason that young people disengage from politics – despite being treated as adult in many other aspects, and directly impacted by the decisions of politicians, they are told they have no place in the political process.

This creates two years of disconnect from the system before they have the chance to vote, and entrenches the idea that our state has no interest in the desires and concerns of young people. Of course, this is true of the current government, who are happily making cuts in areas that disproportionately affect people from the age of 16, both in terms of education and the workforce. The fact is that this government is afraid that younger voters, who are less entrenched in a comfortable, stable, middle-class lifestyle, might punish them at the polls, given the way they have found young people as a suitably voiceless group to punish through their policies.

A further level to this is the fact that once again, the government has decided to totally ignore the recommendations of the constitutional convention, instead opting to bring forward a vote on the age at which one can run for president. This is inane tokenism at the worst – the structures around the nomination process are a far greater barrier to running than age. This decision shows that the government has no real interest in listening to the issues that the people have decided are important to our democracy, and exposes the fact that they wish to treat the constitutional convention as a sham, a sop set up to pretend they are listening when, in fact, they are doing the opposite and acting out of sheer self interest.

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