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The ‘yes’ vote (left) was outvoted by eight to seven at the poorly attended debate on Monday |
‘Real’ votes for 16-year-olds? Not on our watch, sunshine!
Motion is rejected as half the £100k Youth Council fail to show up for debate
THE group of teenagers voted on to Camden’s first Youth Council don’t think the 16-year-olds they know are mature enough to be given a proper vote in elections.
In a surprise move, the adolescent councillors warned at their latest meeting in the Town Hall chamber on Monday afternoon that teens simply aren’t interested enough in politics.
A motion aimed at promoting the idea of a lower voting age of 16 was rejected amid warnings that youngsters are already losing interest in the Youth Council itself.
Less than half of the council showed up for the meeting, leaving only 15 of the youngsters to discuss the issue of voting.
The project was only set up seven months ago and was so highly regarded by their adult counterparts at the Town Hall that they gave the teenage councillors £100,000 of council money to spend.
Eight of those who did make the meeting voted against lowering the age. Only seven were in favour. Councillor Nicholas Seaford, 16, campaigns minister, called for the motion.
“I’ve always been in favour of this,” he said. “By the time you’re 16 you can join the army, get married, have children, and pay taxes – so I think at the point you can pay taxes to the government you should be able to choose who the government is.”
But his well-meaning intentions were soon thwarted by his colleagues.
Deputy leader, Councillor Acai Duang-Arop, 16, told him “not everyone’s like you Nick”, before insisting “people don’t care” and that they would be unlikely to turn up at the ballot box.
She added: “Look at the Youth Council. Look how many people we had the first time and look at it now. People are interested in the first few months and then go away.”
Councillor Lisa Georgoulas, 17, said “lowering the voting age isn’t a good idea,” and added: “I studied politics for AS-level but before that I knew nothing.
“You want [young people] to go out and vote when they know nothing.”
Other councillors suggested 16 to 18-year-olds would not take it seriously and be likely to vote for parties such as the British National Party and the Monster Raving Loony Party.
Alderman Ozman Dahab, 18 – who voted in favour of a lower age – said: “I am quite surprised, if not disappointed. We’re the Youth Council and the general consensus is young people shouldn’t vote.”
And he wasn’t the only one taken aback at his peers’ decision.
Liberal Democrat councillor Flick Rea, Camden’s leisure chief who was sitting in on the meeting, told her younger counterparts she was “disappointed”.
She said: “I think lowering the voting age is particularly important. I hope some of you will change your mind.”
Another adult councillor watching the meeting, Conservative Don Williams, described the change as unimportant and said lowering the age wouldn’t create a more politically interested youth. |
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