Petition Votes At 16 - Lower The Voting Age In All UK Elections to 16

We want our political system to recognise the abilities of 16 & 17 year olds. To properly include us in our society and show us the trust and respect that society expects of us by giving us the right to vote.

A 16 year old can:
◦give full consent to medical treatment
◦leave school and enter work or training
◦pay income tax and National Insurance
◦obtain tax credits and welfare benefits in their own right
◦consent to sexual relationships
◦get married or enter a civil partnership
◦join the armed forces
◦become a member of a trade union or a co-operative society

but he/she currently cannot have any say in the government that ultimately controls these things. This is wrong.

Votes at 16 would engage young people with politics in an era where disillusion with the political establishment is at a peak. It would encourage involvement and enthusiasm from young people and most importantly, it would give us a say in how our country is ran.