Now that 16-year-olds have been given the right to vote in their respective local council elections, it may just be time to start considering giving 16-year-olds the right to also run for office in the elections that they can now vote in.  After all, the fact that they can vote in an election that they cannot contest is something of a paradox.

Before 16-year-olds were given the right to vote in local elections, the rolling electoral register had been created, which rendered those turning 18 years of age up to the very day before an election eligible to vote in general elections. That move served to enfranchise more young voters where they were previously denied their right to vote at 18.  It also eliminated the disenfranchisement that had touched upon thousands of people in the past when those coming of age before an election needed to have their names included on the twice-yearly elector register – in April and October − in time for the election, or otherwise forfeit their right to vote for another five years.

The move was undoubtedly one in the right direction and thanks to cross party agreement it was put in place for the last general election.  As a result, the number of young, first time voters had been greatly increased and the number of those who will be that much more interested in politics the next time the general election rolls around will have also been proportionately increased.

Given the positive experiences of the rolling register and the reduction of the voting age for local elections to 16, it may also now even be time to start thinking about allowing 16-year-olds to vote in general elections.

There are several other arguments in favour, and several against.  In Malta at 16 years of age one can marry, leave school, seek full time employment and consequently begin to pay taxes.  But, on the other hand, a 16-year-old would have to wait another year to buy alcohol and another two years to be able to drive.

It can be reasonably argued that once a person is eligible to pay taxes, one should also be eligible to have some sort of say on how those taxes are spent.  Another argument in favour of reducing the voting age is that it would increase the electorate, as polling turnouts present and future since people are more likely to maintain the habit of voting throughout their lives if they start at a younger age.

It would be about creating the types of active citizens that will take this country upward and onward in the decades to come, and this type of active citizenship begins at the local level and proceeds to the national.  Most will remember with pride the day they first cast a vote, it marked a turning point toward becoming a responsible citizen and it takes one’s interest in the way in which this country is run to a whole new level.  And if we can get more people to be of that mindset two years earlier than at present, the benefits of creating such ‘aware’ citizens could be multiple and multifaceted.

It is abundantly clear that modern day 16-year-olds are far more knowledgeable than those of the past when the laws differentiating minors and adults, at least in terms of voting, were made. With the growing awareness of and interest in the world around them, for a number of reasons, including the interconnectivity that today’s technology has introduced, today’s 16-year-olds have a far greater ability to understand politics and its effect on their lives.

And no one can deny that election results have a bearing on 16-year-olds in terms of their quality of life, education, work prospects and so many other areas that are affected by policies and laws introduced that shape their society and, in the process, affect their lives.   As such, it can be argued that a 16-year-old has just as much interest in who is running their country as anyone else around them.

Conversely, the average 16-year-old, to many, seem completely disinterested in politics and relatively unaware of its significance, but, given the right vote, that lack of interest could be turned around quite quickly.

It is also argued that 16-year-olds generally do not have the necessary political maturity or knowledge to cast a well-informed vote, and that while many 16-year-olds are informed, smart and interested, they are in the minority.

But if we were to measure maturity as the benchmark on the right to vote, several thousand adults would need to be struck from the electoral register.  Added to that, by that yardstick it could also be argued that the number of under 16s could also be added to the register.

Lowering the voting age could make a great deal of sense. It gives more responsibility to the electorate two years earlier than at present and it starts building the type of active, responsible and politically-active citizens that this country, any country, certainly needs more of.