As I'm sure you all know, the Conservatives won the general election. It is the first time in ages that they have had complete control of the government as last time there was a co-alition. Before that labour ruled for many years. That was not the only change yesterday. Many more people voted this year. 66% of people voted in Britain overall and the figures were even higher in Scotland. More people voted this year than in the last 3 elections. In two areas, over 80% of people voted. Also, more young people voted. 58% of people aged 18-25 voted, 6% more than last year's 52%. Some parties are now saying they want to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote, but as the Conservative party isn't one of them, we won't be seeing that happening any time soon.
I'm not sure really whether I think it is a good idea for 16 and 17 year olds to vote or not. The problem is, different people are mature enough to vote at different ages. While some people might be perfectly able to make a sensible decision at 16, others still may not be ready at 18. However, as this is impossible to judge fairly, the voting age has to be a set limit. This means keeping it at 18 may be holding some people back while for others it is a necessary precaution.
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