What should the voting age be?

[rory_20_uk]

There is more than Chronological age. I think that a switched-on 16 year old can have far more to offer than an 80 year old "Churchill sent the army against the miners" (my grandmother).

So, personally I think that at 16 there should be a test that people can undertake to be allowed to vote for a few elections. Some will choose to get involved early, some won't bother. Some will also loose the right should their mental faculties drop below the standard required.

To merely exist for a certain length of time somehow grants you "rights" to decide how the country is run is... moronic.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Keep age as is, strip women of their vote upon marriage. One vote per household should suffice.

[Devastatin Dave]

30...
Simply because you have more life experiences that can assist your decision when it comes to government issues.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Keep age as is, strip women of their vote upon marriage. One vote per household should suffice.

Strip women upon marriage? Isn't that part of the point?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

There is more than Chronological age. I think that a switched-on 16 year old can have far more to offer than an 80 year old "Churchill sent the army against the miners" (my grandmother).

So, personally I think that at 16 there should be a test that people can undertake to be allowed to vote for a few elections. Some will choose to get involved early, some won't bother. Some will also loose the right should their mental faculties drop below the standard required.

To merely exist for a certain length of time somehow grants you "rights" to decide how the country is run is... moronic.

I might argue about the contents of the test, but I like the underlying point. Chronological age is, at best, a rough measure of things like maturity and wisdom. The only reason I am happy with 18 as the current choice is that 18 is the age at which one may own property.