General Election: Voting Rights Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office
Tuesday 25th April 2017

(7 years, 6 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Dubs Portrait Lord Dubs (Lab)
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My Lords, would it not be more important to give the vote to 16 and 17 year-olds, whose future is in this country, than to people who have left this country, do not pay taxes and seem to have no interest in us?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Lord Young of Cookham
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Since the last election, the issue has been discussed on several occasions in the other place. Each time that it was put to a vote, the proposition that the noble Lord has just referred to was voted down. We are in line with most mature democracies in having a voting age of 18, which is aligned with the age for jury service. I do not detect a huge public demand to lower it.