16 and 17 year-olds must be allowed to have their say in decisions which will shape their future, according to Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly, who was speaking after the UK decision to reduce the voting age in their elections.
Deputy Farrelly said:
“In the next UK election, young people in Strabane will be able to cast a ballot, yet those in Lifford won’t be able to vote in November’s presidential election, despite being mere metres away from each other.
“It doesn’t have to be this way in future. Legislation that I introduced in May – the Reduction of the Voting Age to Sixteen Years Bill 2025 – provides a pathway to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 in Ireland.
“People aged 16 and 17 are as civically informed as their peers aged over 18, but are unjustly restricted when it comes to democratic participation.
“If young people can work full time and pay taxes, it is only fair to afford them the opportunity to influence how these taxes are spent, locally and nationally.
“Last month, Ireland ranked 18th out of over 140 countries worldwide in terms of youth participation in political, economic and civic life. We should be doing so much better.
“Political decisions taken today can have consequences that last for generations – and young people are the ones who will have to live longest with the results of those decisions. They deserve a say.
“The UK is taking action on this issue – and there’s no reason we should not follow suit. I’ll be pushing for the government to progress my legislation as soon as possible once the Dáil resumes.”
July 17th, 2025