16 Year olds to vote?

i actually think there are a lot of really impressive kids out there, it's an absolute nonsense that theyre all lazy disinterested selfish people.

maybe an option is to allow people to voluntarily enrol from 16 to vote and then once 18 everyone would have to vote like we do now. this would allow the kids who do actually care have their say.

i also disagree with the idea that they're automatically uninformed or misinformed. sure they wont have the experience but let's face it, if you stopped 10 people in the street and asked them specific questions re policies of the major parties how many would be able to answer with a reasonable degree of accuracy?

not saying im all for allowing 16 year olds to vote but it is an idea worth at least exploring

 

I think Labor polls well with children. I think they know they are going to lose the next election. They seem to be getting desperate.

 

I agree. I know some great kids of that age. I also know plenty of lazy, disinterested, selfish adults who are allowed to vote.

 

Judging from the candidates in the last election, not even people wanting to be voted in can do that

 

Purely a Labor Party attempt to gain votes from a demographic that research indicates will more likely vote Labor.
I think voting shouldn't be compulsory and this is more important than increasing the already large uniformed ignorant and generally uninterested electorate.

 

With all the star studded talent in Labor they must be looking at every angle,but i think leave the age limit the same as it is..

 

Those crazy central and south Americans tend to allow their people to do things younger. eg - The age of consent in a lot of central/south American countries is lower than oz/US/Europe.

 

Increase it to 35+ I say

 

We let Wyatt Roy into Parliament and he can't be much older

 

I think it should stay at 18, but I do think that voting should be voluntary. Even if it is voluntary, everyone gets a say, they just get the choice as to whether or not they want to voice it.

I think it would make politicians work harder for their votes rather than trying to get vote behind closed doors based no the position of their name on the ballot paper and the preferences, which unless you really look into it, aren't that well known.

I would also rather them spend a ton of cash to make it electronic, rather than having the cost of setting up all the polling booths each time. Surely this would pay for itself after 1 or 2 elections.

 

Ps4 or Xbox 1 ?

Hmmm decisions decisions ....

 

Poor Bill, he's not having any luck getting grown-ups to like him so he has to go after the kids. It's so disappointing that this sort of stuff is the best they can come up with.

 

There are many people over 18 who should not be allowed to vote. A basic politics test should be required, to prove that someone has sufficient competency to cast a useful vote.

 

Yep, I'd be all for that.

 

Voluntary voting would solve most of that issue immediately.

 

If voting was not compulsory Labor would never win.

 

Initially absolutely. In reality it would result in a shift in policy to try cater to the voting demographics, as opposed to the current situation where parties can stick to minority held views because there is no real availability of choice.

 

I kind of agree, but politics is what creates the mess we're in.

Our positions are predominately union reps, lawyers, bankers and academics. They're rarely small business owners, engineers, farmers and assembly line workers - the people at the coalface that really make this country run.

Political parties are degenerating into a 'win at all costs' and 'election by popularity' competition rather than working collectively towards the greater good.

I often think the best sort of government is a benevolent dictatorship. Unfortunately dictators are rarely benevolent.