Just over two years ago members of the States of Jersey narrowly voted in favour of giving 16 and 17 year olds in the island the right to vote.
The first real opportunity for islanders to use that vote was at during the elections for Constable, Deputy and Senator at the end of 2008 – that and the island’s first referendum.
The next major opportunity for the islands 16 year olds to vote will be during the elections at the end of 2011 when the youngest people voting will have been only 12 when the law was first changed.
The issue over whether to lower the voting age is being discussed in the UK again including a programme on BBC Three as part of the ‘Adult Season’.
The show follows actress Melissa Suffield, who has just turned 16, is paying tax and is leaving school – and thinks she wants a say in how things are run. It’s called ‘16: To young to vote‘.
However, not everyone thinks 16 year olds are old enough to vote. Despite being one of the first 18 year olds to vote in the UK, Sue Palmer, an expert on childhood development thinks that young people should not vote until the age of 21.
“Very broadly speaking human life divides into three lots of seven in terms of the formation of the brain and personality.
“The first seven years which are mainly little kids playing, that’s when you develop conscious control of your mind. The second seven years when you are basically being shown the ropes and disciplined and taught to self discipline your mind.
“And then the final seven years are sort of an initiation into adulthood and actually that fits with brain development.
“We now know that over the teenage years, right up to about 21-ish, there is something called milination going on inside your head, a finishing off of the neural networks.
“So it has made me think that we should go back to 21 as the voting age.”
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Ryan Morrison is a geek, journalist and someone obsess with media, technology and geek culture. He writes for the BBC in Jersey on any subject that falls on his desk and presents a show about the islands music scene. He has been blogging for six years.