At the end of March, to the dismay of many, the Seanad voted in favour of Fine Gael’s proposal to freeze for nine months the consideration of the bill to lower the voting age in local government and European parliament elections to 16. The debate surrounding lowering the voting age, which encapsulates some 126,000 potential voters, has been ongoing for over 10 years. The current amendment to legislation was sponsored by Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield, and seconded by Trinity Senator Lynn Ruane. While Fianna Fáil are noted to have supported calls for lowering the voting age in their 2016 general election manifesto, they are … Continue reading Extending Voting Rights to 16 and 17-Year-Olds Should Not be Swept Under the Carpet