CATHERINE CONNOLLY, WHO was inaugurated as President of Ireland in Dublin Castle on Tuesday, sparked a mass movement of supporters as she travelled the country during her campaign.

This movement, which continues to grow today, is powered by people of all ages but was hugely influenced by the young people at its core – a cohort that usually are not as civically engaged as their older peers.

While history leaves us in no doubt that youth turnout in elections and referenda has consistently been low, the Connolly campaign has shown that young people can be engaged by politics if it speaks to them, meets them where they are at and is representative of their concerns.

This trend is not restricted to recent events in Ireland. Zohran Mamdani’s election as Mayor of New York was embraced by young people. His priorities of affordability, housing security and strength in diversity spoke directly to them and their concerns.

The Green Party’s meteoric rise in the UK polls, under the new leadership of Zach Polanski, has tapped into a similar vein, its membership doubling to over 140,000 in a span of mere months.

It’s time that Ireland reduces the voting age to 16. I’m bringing a piece of legislation to the Dáil today that would do just that.

Politically restricted

Over my 18 years as a youth worker in Kildare and Dublin, I’ve learned that those aged 16 and 17 are just as civically informed as their peers aged 18 and over, sometimes even more so, but they are unjustly restricted when it comes to democratic participation.

Deciding the appropriate age to allow voting is an issue of fairness, not competence; of equality, not maturity. At 16 years of age, a teenager can work 40 hours a week and pay associated taxes; obtain a dog licence to keep a dog; consent to medical treatment; and, at 17 years of age, legally drive an eight-seater car.

In just a couple of years, those who hit 18 will be faced with the same accommodation shortage, the same skyrocketing energy prices, and the same reduced minimum wage rates which discriminate against young people.

Why should they have no say in voting for political parties who have divergent policies on how best to handle these issues?

After all, it’s as much their future at stake as anyone else’s when it comes to the outcome of elections. If anything, this age group has more life to live and will be more affected by the outcomes of the policies of today than older people.

The case abroad

This isn’t a new idea. One of the recommendations of the 2012-2014 Convention on the Constitution was to reduce the voting age to 16. Some of our nearest neighbours have already made the change.

In Scotland, 16 year-olds could vote in their independence referendum in 2014. In Wales, they had the opportunity to vote in elections for the Welsh Parliament. Clearly, the world doesn’t fall apart when young people are offered the opportunity to vote.

In July, the UK government also confirmed its intention to legislate for the reduction of the voting age to 16 in time for its next general election. In doing so, approximately 48,000 young people in Northern Ireland will be entitled to vote in that election. However, here, as it currently stands, young people will not have the same right.

It could have been different if the previous government had lived up to their commitments to consider reducing the voting age for the Local and European Elections in 2024. Regrettably, they failed to do so, and my legislation seeks to make this reform in advance of the next elections in four years.

If young people can work full-time and pay taxes, it is only fair to afford them an opportunity to try to influence how these taxes are spent, both locally and nationally. This doesn’t mean I expect every young person to vote – but at least they will have the chance.

There are many thousands who care about their communities and their society, who are as passionate about politics, public administration and civic duty as their older peers. This is an opportunity to tell the 16 and 17 year-olds of Ireland that they, and their voices, are valued; that they’re trusted; and that their insight is important to the present, not just the future, of this country.

Election turnout

For those who claim reducing the voting age will benefit one side of the political spectrum disproportionately, research from the House of Commons library shows that the change has not significantly altered the outcome of elections in countries which have adjusted their rules. Young people share a wide variety of opinions, just as adults do.

I believe this Bill is of fundamental importance at a time when turnout in Irish elections is falling. The same House of Commons research shows that young people who are enfranchised at the age of 16 are more likely to vote than those who have to wait until they are 18. Turnout at the most recent presidential election was 45.8%. 2024’s General Election turnout was 59.7%, the lowest in decades, and the Local Elections saw only 49.4% head to the polls. Notwithstanding concerns about the accuracy of the electoral register, things are trending in the wrong direction.

This is in contrast to an energy and enthusiasm for all elections that I see when I visit schools around the country and when I work with youth services and youth groups. Ahead of every election or referendum, young people are talking about candidates and parties, manifestos and pledges.

More importantly, they’re talking about the issues that face them in the same way older people do. The only difference is, we can use our vote to express our opinion. We should not undermine the potential and ability of young people to play an essential, productive role in our society. Widening the franchise helps us to engage young people in decision making that affects their future.

Aidan Farrelly is a TD and the Social Democrats spokesperson for children, equality and youth.