16 and 17 year olds have been granted the vote in all Scottish parliamentary and council elections, on the same day they have been denied it in the EU referendum. The Scottish Election (reduction of voting age) bill was voted for by 86 MSPs, with only 8 voting against the proposal. The SNP has long wanted to lower the voting age to 16, and in the Independence Referendum last September 16 year olds were able to cast their ballot for the first time.
Sarah Staples, a member of the Youth Parliament for Plymouth, says: “I am so happy that Scotland has decided to grant 16 and 17 year olds the vote for elections within Scotland, to their councils and to the Scottish Parliament.”
“I hope that the rest of the UK can follow Scotland’s example on this, because young people should be able to have their say in how their country is run regardless of what side of the border they live on.”
Full Article: 16 and 17 year olds granted the vote in all Scottish elections – Mirror Online.