In this blog, Marcus Flucker MSYP (Angus South) shares his experiences of attending a Votes at 16 conference in Belfast, organised by Politics in Action, where he and SYP Chair Ellie Craig MSYP spoke about Votes at 16 in Scotland.
This year marks 10 years since young people in Scotland were given the right to vote at the age of 16 and 17. Almost everything about the political landscape has changed in since 2015 – but something that remains, is that young people are still waiting for their right to Votes at 16 for all elections in the UK. Whilst 16- and 17-year-olds in Scotland and Wales can vote in elections to their devolved parliaments and to their local councils, they can’t yet vote to choose their representative in Westminster. 16- and 17-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland can’t even vote at all!
Last year, I had the privilege of attending a conference in Belfast that brought together young people from across the UK to make the case for Votes at 16 in Northern Ireland. I was there not only as an MSYP, but as a young Scot who had benefited from a decade of being enfranchised early. I attended alongside Ellie Craig MSYP, the Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, and it was a fantastic experience.
The day before the conference, we were fortunate enough to meet Professor Laura Lundy, one of the most influential voices in the field of children’s rights. Her model of youth participation – the Lundy Model – has helped transform decision-makers understanding of how to meaningful engage with children and young people. It’s so good SYP has even used it in our ‘Right Way Project’ resources, which you can learn more about here.
Speaking with Professor Lundy and learning about her journey, as well as her reflections on the state of children’s rights in the UK, was fascinating and it gave me lots to think about for the conference the next day.
At the conference itself, Ellie and I had the opportunity to speak on a panel alongside young people from Wales and Northern Ireland. We shared our experiences of voting (or not being able to vote) at 16. For those of us in Scotland and Wales, the right to vote at 16 gave us a sense of responsibility and served as an important way for us to have our UNCRC Article 12 ‘Right to be heard’ realised.
But we all agreed that the right to vote means little without the knowledge to access it. Citizenship education remains patchy and under resourced across the UK. I spoke about one young person who I met in my constituency of Angus South. They said to me that “Modern Studies tells us about democracy, but not how we can particate in it”. Their words have stuck with me throughout all my work on Votes as 16 and remind that for young people to fully participate in democracy, they must first understand how it works and where they fit in.
Gaining the right to vote is only the first step. Feeling empowered enough to use your right to vote is a different matter.
The conference ended with a call on Members of Northern Ireland’s Legislative Assembly to finally deliver Votes at 16. The Stormont assembly actually voted in favour of introducing Votes at 16 in 2012 (before even Scotland or Wales) but no action was taken.
However, now, less than a year on from the conference, I am delighted that we are closer than we have ever been before to every young person being able to access their right to vote in every election in the UK. The change of UK Government last July has helped push this forward as, for the first time ever, we have a Prime Minster in Downing Street who has committed their government to Votes at 16.
Scotland showed what’s possible 10 years ago. It’s time for the rest of the UK to follow.
