I sedicenni dovrebbero votare? La legge della gioventù della Spagna ha scatenato fracazioni politiche
Should 16-year-olds vote? Spain’s youth law sparks political rifts
di mods4mods
I sedicenni dovrebbero votare? La legge della gioventù della Spagna ha scatenato fracazioni politiche
Should 16-year-olds vote? Spain’s youth law sparks political rifts
di mods4mods
40 commenti
In Spain, citizens can currently vote in general, regional, and municipal elections from the age of 18. That age threshold, unchanged since the country transitioned to democracy in the late 1970s, may soon be up for debate as Spain looks to lowering the voting age.
The Ministry of Children and Youth, led by Sira Rego, is drafting legislation that could lower the voting age to 16. The proposal forms part of a broader Youth Law package, expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers ahead of the summer.
If approved, it would mark a major shift in Spain’s democratic framework and bring the country in line with others, such as Austria and parts of Germany, where 16-year-olds can already vote in certain elections.
Political support – and caution
Some left-leaning and regional parties, including ERC, Bildu, and members of the Grupo Mixto, have already expressed support for the plan. However, the ruling Socialist Party (PSOE) has adopted a more reserved stance.
Although PSOE previously endorsed a non-binding motion to study the issue, it now considers the reform impractical in the short term. Government spokesperson and Education Minister Pilar Alegría has said the matter has yet to be formally debated by the Cabinet.
Obviously the ones who want to lower the age are those that think they’ll benefit from it.
(I can’t believe I feel like a boomer saying this)
The unforseen consequence this could have is that the youth is more and more radicalized and can’t think critically, tiktok has fried their brains. I hate pensionists voting the same parties over and over as much as the rest, but this can be dangerous.
Jesus I was a retard when I was 16. Please don’t do this Spain
Letting adolescents vote is insane.
No
16 is the age when your political opinion can be influenced by tiktok edits
I think if you’re old enough to pay taxes to society, you’re old enough to vote. So either young people shouldn’t pay taxes until they turn 18, or you’re allowed to vote when you turn 16.
The whole “I was an idiot when I was 16” doesn’t really hold water. Lots of adult idiots out there, and lots of sensible 16 year olds.
You can’t leave school grounds during recess at 16 without parental consent or a signed notice, you can’t go to prison, you can’t get married, you can’t drive, you can’t legally drink alcohol… but somehow you’re mature enough to vote? PSOE and Podemos really think they’ll get the youth vote—it’s honestly even more hilarious.
I am highly supportive of lowering the voting age to 16, if you can work and pay taxes then you should surely be entitled to vote.
For all of those who disagree by remarking about the intelligence or independence of 16 year olds I do believe you’re being unfair. Firstly, there are plenty of older folk who are clueless and yet still vote. Plenty of elderly people vote based on Facebook comments or posts. Similarly, for all of the young clueless voters, there are many who are well educated and not so clueless. Its also worth noting that while many think 16 year olds will be a copy and past of their parents vote, your disregarding how contrarian many teenagers are and how they may literally avoid voting the same way as their parents.
Either way, this is a fantastic move happening in Spain and hopefully one, that if Labour sticks to its manifesto promise, can happen here in the UK too.
Should 80 years old and over vote?
The argument that young people don’t know anything is mute, when you consider how stupid the rest of adult population are.
Almost everyone in every democratic nation is almost totally divorced from the reality of basically every system in their life, with a possible exception to whichever specialist area they work in.
To pluck a number out of my arse, I’d guess about 80% of voters don’t vote with any degree of conscientiousness. You could drop voting to birth, and it wouldn’t significantly diminish the quality of voter. An infant picking at random wouldn’t make any less thoughtful a choice than most voters.
everyone who has to pay taxes should be able to vote
No, i am teacher and NO for so many reasons
Please Spain, keep childhood apolitical. I don’t want 16 year olds to become divided on the political spectrum. I dont want 16 year olds to be part of targeted political advertising
I am 24. Even when I was 19/20 I didn’t think voting for 16yo was good. Seeing a lot of my peers being so utterly unserious and vote something because it’s funny, because their parents vote it and not all that interested in anything regarding politics.
The problem is bigger than just having 16 year old votes. The problem is that the median age of voters is constantly increasing as a result of declining fertility rates. Policy choices are a direct impact of this inequality. They expect the economy to stay the way that it was when they were children in spite not leaving things the same way as they were when they grew up. And then on top of that they, through that same decreased fertility rate, vote against those required changes to the new reality of what an economy is. In spite thinking the new economic situation is what they experienced that that age themselves. The elderly get treats of cheap houses and decreased commodity costs. Perhaps even resenting their own grandchildren because of the situation they have created where they gave other countries grandchildren economic investment so that they could purchase cheaper commodities. Now as prices soar they still don’t understand what they have created. It is their lazy grandchildren that have ruined the economy and vote for the next politician they can relate to, at youngest on the verge of retirement, at eldest on the verge of retirement home.
If you pay tax you should be allowed to vote.
I think there should be an exam that includes knowledge about how the government works, political ideologies, and other relevant stuff, make it really hard. You first take it at 16, if you fail you take it next year, and so on. Only when you pass you will be allowed to vote. Call it informed democracy.
my 1st thought here is this is just a 2nd vote for their parents. when I turned 18 I was told who to vote for by my father and I regretted it.
I do think 16yrs is old enough to vote but requires a lot of education behind it.
We can vote at 16 here in Scotland. If a 75 year old with a deteriorating mind, outdated & bigoted ideologies, and no incentive to vote for anything that benefits a country long term can vote then a 16 year old (who can join the army and would be taxed if they had a job) should have every right to vote especially when you look at how different younger people vote compared to elderly.
Anyone arguing that they’re not mature enough or educated enough really needs a reality check because have you seen how uneducated and out of touch many adults are? People are saying kids are brainwashed by tik tok as if their whole generation didn’t just get all of their news from Facebook and fall for every AI trick going. After working in a school I’d honestly have more faith in our 16 & 17 year olds critical thinking than I do in everyday people…
16 is way to young, kids are easily influenced. They don’t know who they are, they don’t have life experience and they don’t have enough responsibilities. And you kinda need some of that to understand the impact your vote can have.
In my country when i was first voting at 18, i noticed that most of my friends and young people around me were just voting what ever their parents voted for instead of thinking for them selfs. Now adays they would probably vote who every their favorite tiktokker tels them to vote for.
It would be a good an idea to give them a voice some other way though.
Idk…I lean toward no, but on the flip side a 90 year old with actual brain damage can. But I know that looking back 16 year old me would be easily swayed by silly stuff. Also I watched a union takeover by a terrible union as the new union brought lunches and coffee for the mostly younger workers.
Why stop at 16… If it can speak it can vote… I mean kindergarten should do right?
What a complete idiotic thing.
The current government gives money to those who turn 18, so it’s a way to secure votes and spend more time putting down roots without doing anything.
Disconnected from any current politics, I think it’s good to have an old age, after which you can’t vote and also lower the minimal voting age, because the youth never votes at the same rate as old people, but the country needs to think forward
If they want to vote as adults they will also have to be processed as adults when they are doing crimes.
When i was 16 i was still mesmerized when a new pub appeared. So no i dont think the brain at that age and stage should make important choices on how the country might be run or by who. But im not Spanish so what do i know.
My question is then, can some 16 year olds work, enlist, and pay taxes in Spain?
If you are old enough to have any such responsibilities towards society you are old enough to vote. That age is decided by members society, but it should be consistent.
Absolutely not. They’re kids that don’t understand shit. I was retarded at 16, so was everyone else I knew. They wouldn’t admit it but they’re as gullible as someone in their 80s.
Probably an unpopular opinion, but I’d tie voting rights to at the very least secondary education graduation, if not a university degree outright.
To quote a classic: “Democracy is power to the people, but the people are retarded”
The age at which you are considered mature enough to vote should be the same age at which you are considered mature enough for absolutely everything else. Therefore, at the age you can vote, you should also be able to marry, give sexual consent to anyone, work in the porn industry, drink alcohol, smoke, drive, enlist in the military, sign mortgages, or be tried as an adult. All or nothing.
Either this, or limiting the Maximum voting age
If you can serve the military you should damn we’ll be able to vote.
I would rather argue for upper limit. We put some arbitrary limit of at least 18 yo – I have some friends that were politically aware when they were 16, also have some idiot friends that even at 30+ falls for any populist bullshit they can.
So if we limit age, I would also include people that because of age either start to mentally decline or they should no longer decide for the future of the country when they won’t be ones that will have to live with consequences.
Most people over 18 shouldn’t vote either, you could imagine what happens if you give that responsibility to a teenager
I’m seeing a lot of arguments about what a 16 year old can or can’t already do in Spain, so I’m going to make it clear:
• Things a 16 year old CAN do:
– Work
– Pay taxes
– Marry
– Consent to sex
– Drive low CV motorbikes
• Things a 16 year old CAN’T do:
– Drink
– Drive anything else
– Enlist
– Fully own property
– Vote
Hope that clears things up
Honestly I would only allow voting only when you start paying taxes. But that’s an unpopular opinion.
No. They are too uninformed and easy to manipulate. It might dangerously favour the left.
16 year olds are barely even conscious lol