COMMENT: Why do politicians refuse to give Irish teenagers a REAL voice?

How would you feel if you were informed, passionate, opinionated... but still had no right to vote?

That's the case for thousands of 16- and 17-year-olds across Ireland. And this week an electoral bill was debated in the Seanad on whether the legal age of voting in Ireland should be lowered by two years to 16. The bill was proposed by Senator Fintan Warfield of Sinn Fein and seconded by independent Senator Lynn Ruane. Although the bill had good momentum and a strong campaign behind it, the Fine Gael/Fianna Fail coalition opted to block it.

Fianna Fáil & Fine Gael have blocked the #VoteAt16 bill. Fight for a broader & better democracy not over yet though, we'll keep pushing. pic.twitter.com/zmpyRb9ZLX

— Lynn Ruane (@SenLynnRuane) March 29, 2017

Hugely disappointing that FF and FG have chosen to block #voteat16 legislation for nine months, ruling out a wider franchise in 2019 EU/LE.

— Fintan Warfield (@fintanwarfield) March 29, 2017

I want to thank every citizen and resident, young and old, who engaged with the #voteat16 Bill. And to the orgs supporting our young people.

— Fintan Warfield (@fintanwarfield) March 29, 2017

 

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael block ‘Vote at 16’ until 2018 – @fintanwarfield https://t.co/OEL2L8p6K7 pic.twitter.com/UCWHwtcmNz

— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) March 30, 2017

Still, this is one movement that clearly has support behind it in bucket-loads: #Voteat16 trended on Twitter in Ireland this week and there is no denying that the conversation has firmly been ignited. Internationally, plenty of nations believe that the voices of their younger people are non-negotiable when it comes to state matters. In 2007 Austria, for example, became the first European country to reduce the voting age to 16 for all elections. And in Germany seven out of 16 states have done the same. Norway is also now allowing 16-year-olds to vote in certain local elections. In Scotland, 16-year-olds are currently eligible to vote; there a 2014 independence referendum (a movement in which younger people in particular were behind) sparked increased interest in politics and economic issues. So, is it time for Ireland to follow suit? The National Youth Council of Ireland believes so. It's behind the Vote At 16 campaign, believing that young people in Ireland should have a greater say in the economic and political landscape around them.

I'm so pro #VoteAt16. Anything to help balance out the completely undue influence that older people have on elections and referendums.

— Carl Kinsella (@TVsCarlKinsella) March 29, 2017

Anti choice senators don't want people to vote at 16 but would happily make them become parents much younger ?? #voteat16

— Chaela ⚡️ (@GoChaela) March 29, 2017

Once young people get the chance to flex their electoral muscle they will breathe new life into local and European democracy #voteat16

— Colette Kelleher (@ColetteKelleher) March 29, 2017

It's a powerful argument too. After all, teenagers today have responded to the fast-paced, highly-digitalised environment in which they now find themselves. They contribute to the diverse global debates and discussions that are happening as they reach adulthood: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un; Brexit, the Paris attacks, and the Zika virus. Did you know that in 2014 at the age of 19, Adam Wyse was elected to council in Waterford?  And at the age of 21, just last year, he was elected by the people as mayor to the city and county of Waterford? Young people in Ireland are making a difference they want to have a say, and they want to be heard. It's been a long time since there has been any change to the voting age here: January 5, 1973 to be exact, the legal age of voting was lowered from 21 years of age to 18. Surely now, some 45 years later, it's time to make another change: it's high-time we empowered our army of young men and women with a vote that recognises their voice, their stance, and their contribution.