Debate contribution: Voting Age: 16- and 17-year-olds

Debate contribution by Ms Kellie Armstrong on 24 September 2024.

MLA

Ms Kellie Armstrong

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

24 September 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Voting Age: 16- and 17-year-olds

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4644890

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion on votes at 16. I used my first Member's statement during this term of the Assembly in advance of the International Day of Democracy to call for votes at 16. It is a long-standing policy of Alliance and other parties in this House that those changes should take effect. However, it is accepted that, according to paragraph 12 of schedule 2 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Assembly has no power to introduce that change, so it needs to happen on the Floor of Westminster. I think that we will say very clearly today to the Secretary of State, the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, that this Assembly does want that change to take effect. We want to be the same as Scotland and Wales, and we want our 16- and 17-year-olds to be able to vote. It would be an absolute privilege for many people who will stand in the 2027 elections if 16- and 17-year-olds were able to do that for the first time. I am not surprised that some Members have reiterated their opposition to the motion. For clarity, why was the age of 16 chosen as the starting age for National Insurance? We have 16-year-olds who pay National Insurance and have a National Insurance card, yet, for some, they are not good enough to vote. I believe that 16- and 17-year-olds in Northern Ireland are every bit as good, intelligent, progressive and politically intelligent as those who live in Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, 16- and 17-year olds have been able to vote for 10 years. Are we not part of the devolved nations? Why are our 16- and 17-year-olds treated differently? When we have the opportunity to ask for votes at 16, we should take it. Together, we should push the Secretary of State to move that forward.

Absolutely. We all know that each party in the House has a youth wing. I find it disingenuous for Members to say to someone who joined a political party at a young age, and who may hold membership of that party, that they are just a political "anorak" and are not equipped to know anything about politics. The concerns about having education that provides support for young people is completely unfounded. At Key Stage 3, there is learning for life and work. We can include voting as part of the local and global citizenship topic. That is easy enough to do. It will tell people how to vote, when votes happen, how the process works and all that. For goodness' sake, it will even help them learn how the counts are worked out. High-quality and expansive civic education in schools will provide that. It will also manage political campaigning. Politicians are only invited into schools; we do not go and campaign in them. That is fair. We can create a system that educates young people and helps them decide for themselves who they back and want to vote for. I am disappointed that the Minister of Education left the debate — I am sure that he has other business to do — as there are a lot of young people here who would have loved to hear his reaction to the idea for a review of the national curriculum to include something like politics within learning for life and work, but we will not hear that today. Our young people are excellent. They are not just political anoraks. They want to know about the globe. They want to know how they can improve life across the world, across this island, across the UK and across Northern Ireland, so why are we preventing them from doing so? Many of them have said that they do not feel represented by government. We have the Northern Ireland Youth Assembly, but do we have its Members coming to the Chamber with any motions? No. They are barred from doing so. We could give those intelligent young people, whom we celebrate, the right to vote. Why do we celebrate their GCSEs and A levels and say that they are doing so wonderfully well but tell them that they are not good enough to vote? That is wrong. Voting earlier means that people will go on to vote longer in life. All of us in this place should want that. Rather than play TUV bingo, we should talk up the opportunity to have more voters. After all, the jobs of each of us depend on them. The more people who vote, the better Northern Ireland can be. In fact, this morning, I heard that, when the franchise changes, society improves through more representation. Unless Members think that our young people are not good enough and are not as good as Scottish and Welsh young people, why would they vote against the motion? I appreciate that it is their party policy, as the DUP's Brian Kingston MLA said, but, guys, you are on the wrong side of history. You have been on the wrong side of history so often. It is time to recognise that, long ago, people were able to vote only at 21, but the age was changed to 18. At this stage, it is right that, in Northern Ireland, our intelligent, productive and effective young people can vote from the age of 16.

895 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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