Let's Raise the Voting Age

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New government plans to lower the voting age would see 16 and 17-year-olds given the vote in time for the next General Election. The measures introduced in a new Elections Bill will be the first big change to the voting age since the age of representation shifted from 21 to 18 under Harold Wilson in 1969. Having marked that anniversary in 2019, Professor James Tilley of Oxford University revists a challenging question. Does it actually make more sense for the voting age to head back up to 21? As most other areas of the law restrict the rights and responsibilities of 16-year-olds, why should voting buck a modern trend - that our rites of passage into adulthood happen increasingly late? Recorded in 2019 to mark the anniversary of the Wilson changes, Ed Miliband offers his take on why 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote, and there's some voting mythbusting from Professor Phil Cowley, who honestly answers the question as to whether 16-year-olds really dislike him. Maisie and Lottie, campaigners from York's Youth Council, put forward their views as to why they definitely should be allowed to vote. Presented by Professor James Tilley Produced by Kev Core