Votes for 16 & 17 year olds: ‘I believe the case has become undeniable’ – Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael
The legislative power to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in future Scottish Parliament elections should be transferred from the UK Parliament to Holyrood in March, Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael announced yesterday.
Mr Carmichael made the announcement during a visit to Edinburgh College, where he met 16 and 17 year old students and discussed the importance of having the right to vote.
The timetable for the Section 30 Order – which will devolve the power from the UK Parliament to Holyrood in March – has been agreed by both the UK and Scottish Government. It will be brought before both Houses of the UK Parliament and the Scottish Parliament today and then put forward for Privy Council approval in March.
This is the first stage in implementing the Smith Commission’s cross party agreement on devolution which will bring more powers and more financial responsibility to the Scottish Parliament.
Delivery of the Section 30 Order was brought forward as an exception from the rest of the Smith package so the power could be devolved in time for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections – although they will not have a vote in May’s general election.
The Scottish Secretary also confirmed that the UK Government would publish draft legislation on the Smith Agreement later this week – ahead of the Burns Day deadline announced prior to the independence referendum.
During his college visit Mr Carmichael met with a group of BTEC first-year Art & Design students, who had already been discussing the issue as part of their communications class, as well as other 16-17 year students, to learn their views about lowering the voting age. He also met with representatives from Edinburgh College Students’ Association, as well as college Board vice chair Ian Young and deputy principal Craig Wilson.
Mr Carmichael said: “I’m delighted to confirm a timetable has been agreed for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in future Scottish Parliament elections. I’ve always been a firm believer in votes at 16, with the sheer number of young people participating and voting in last year’s referendum I believe the case has become undeniable.
“Today marks the next phase in our commitment to people in Scotland and the start of an landmark week for the future of our country. Later this week we will publish draft legislation ahead of Burns Night meeting our promise to bring new powers built to last for the Scottish Parliament.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that agreement has been reached with the UK Government on the terms of the transfer of powers to allow the Scottish Parliament to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote in Scottish Parliament elections.
Once the Order has been passed, the Scottish Government will bring forward legislation to the Scottish Parliament which, subject to parliamentary agreement, will allow registration officers to complete their work to ensure 16 and 17 year olds are able to vote in the May 2016 Scottish election.
The deal comes after the First Minister met with Prime Minister David Cameron in London last month, where she stressed the need for swift action to transfer the powers. The First Minister and Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael have now confirmed that the necessary powers will be transferred by March.
Welcoming the move, the First Minister said yesterday: “It has long been this Government’s policy to reduce the voting age to 16. The Scottish Government’s decision to extend the vote to 16 and 17 year olds in the referendum legislation is widely seen as an outstanding success and contributed to the unprecedented level of democratic engagement we witnessed.
“I am delighted that there is now cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament for extending the franchise to include 16 and 17 year olds for Scottish Parliament and local government elections. I stressed the need for rapid action on this front when I met David Cameron in London before Christmas – and I am delighted we now have a deal. We now intend to bring forward legislation to the Scottish Parliament as soon as possible after the Order is in force to lower the voting age to 16 for these elections. This will allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in the 2016 elections to the Scottish Parliament.
“This deal, which is being delivered to a tight timetable, shows just what is possible when there is political will on both sides – and underlines the need for swift action on other elements of the Smith Commission proposals.”
Last week a Scottish Parliament committee survey reported that an overwhelming majority of 16 and 17-year-olds who were eligible to vote in last year’s historic referendum did so, with four out of five saying they want a vote in all future elections.
More than 1200 of the eligible first-time voters responded to the online survey run by the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee with more than one in three saying they had campaigned for either side and two in five saying they had attended a campaign event.
Welcoming the findings, Devolution (Further Powers) Committee Convener Bruce Crawford MSP said: “We saw an unprecedented level of interest and democratic engagement around the referendum and the results of this survey provide further evidence of the energy and enthusiasm generated.
“It is quite clear that 16 and 17 year olds welcomed the opportunity to have their say on their country’s constitutional future and now want a say in the elections that shape their lives and communities – it is now for politicians to respond positively to that democratic momentum.”
Survey findings include:
- Over 84 per cent of respondees agreed with the decision to give 16 and 17 year olds the vote in the Referendum
- Three-quarters of respondees felt “well informed” or “quite well informed” about the major issues;
- Nearly 36 per cent of respondees campaigned for either side while one in four joined a political party;
- Four-fifths believe they should be able to vote in other elections;
- Nearly two-thirds accessed online or social media material from the official campaigns while broadcast media was the most popular source for information.
Mr Crawford said: “I am delighted that the UK Government has agreed to transfer responsibility for running elections in Scotland to the Scottish Parliament, paving the way for votes in future Scottish, UK and local elections.
“We will use the findings of this survey to ensure that future generations of voters are as well-equipped as possible to make decisions on the issues that affect them.”
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