Votes at 16 for the EU referendum


Votes at 16 for the EU referendum
The Issue
In 2014, Scotland voted in a historic referendum on independence. At that referendum, 16 and 17 year olds were given the vote - and proved decisively why they deserved it. They engaged strongly and passionately with the debate, and an estimated 75% of them turned out to vote.
Now, the UK is being given the chance to vote on its membership of the EU. This is a decision which will affect all of us, and an issue which many young people care deeply about. If the government wants the referendum to be fair and inclusive, 16-year-olds should be given the opportunity to have their say. This isn't a decision that can be reversed after the next election, or perhaps any time in our lifetimes, and it will have a huge impact on young people's futures - so it's vital that they are allowed to vote on it.
We call on the UK government to make the voting age in the EU referendum 16.
The Issue
In 2014, Scotland voted in a historic referendum on independence. At that referendum, 16 and 17 year olds were given the vote - and proved decisively why they deserved it. They engaged strongly and passionately with the debate, and an estimated 75% of them turned out to vote.
Now, the UK is being given the chance to vote on its membership of the EU. This is a decision which will affect all of us, and an issue which many young people care deeply about. If the government wants the referendum to be fair and inclusive, 16-year-olds should be given the opportunity to have their say. This isn't a decision that can be reversed after the next election, or perhaps any time in our lifetimes, and it will have a huge impact on young people's futures - so it's vital that they are allowed to vote on it.
We call on the UK government to make the voting age in the EU referendum 16.
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The Decision Makers
Petition created on 22 May 2015