Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As Deputy Adams has outlined, this Bill has two main elements. First, it proposes to amend the Constitution to extend the voting franchise in Presidential elections to Irish citizens in Northern Ireland and to the Irish diaspora. Second, it proposes that the voting age in Presidential elections should be lowered to 16. I do not think there should be much confusion about the issues covered in this simple Bill.

I would like to concentrate on the proposal to extend the electoral franchise to include citizens who have reached the age of 16. I believe our society will reap the rewards and profit from the inclusion of young people in the electoral process. As members of the committee are probably aware, the Seanad has debated the possibility of reducing the voting age. It was a good debate. The position that was adopted was that more discussion was needed, but I do not think that discussion has really happened. It is certainly happening within youth organisations. I have spoken to people in the National Youth Council of Ireland, which represents a huge body of young people and is very engaged with this issue. There is certainly an appetite among such organisations for a change of this nature.

As Deputy Adams has outlined, many people across the globe already have this ability. We believe this country should follow the example set by Norway, Austria, Scotland and other jurisdictions. Some 75% of 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland vote when they are afforded an opportunity to do so. I suppose this has been the pattern. When young people have got the vote, they have used it. Interestingly, people of this age who get the vote for the first time are probably more inclined to use it than older people, including people aged 19 or 20. That is one of the quirks of the system. The decision to give people aged 16 and 17 the right to vote in all Scottish elections enjoys a high level of support. We know that many people engaged with the last referendum there. When the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, addressed the Seanad last year, she reiterated her support for the voting rights of 16 and 17 year olds.

In 2011, when the voting age in Norwegian local elections was lowered to 16 as a trial in 21 municipalities, 58% of 16 and 17 year olds voted in the subsequent elections. There was a far lower turnout among regular first-time voters between the ages of 18 and 21. There is a pattern of young people using the vote once they are given it. When Austria lowered its legal voting age in all elections in 2007, turnout among this age group increased to over 65%.

Research in this case study indicates a high level of political maturity when casting a vote for the first time. I am sure everybody in all parties here is concerned about voter turnout. Some of the lowest turnout rates are among young people. Again, it is about engaging them and making them feel part of the process. A positive step in encouraging them is to develop a pattern of voting when they are young, and that is the way the research has progressed. It would be a progressive step to lower the voting age in Presidential elections to 16. Why should it be limited to this election? I argue that it should apply to all elections but this is a particular element of the Bill before us. I urge the committee to support the Bill.

I could refer to other countries where there is a pattern of people using their vote. This is about making politics and democracy available to more people. The figures indicate this would allow 126,000 people aged between 16 and 17 to vote in local and European elections. It is the view of most parties that they favour this, and where young people get the vote, it is used. It is not as clear with the diaspora that when they get a vote, it is used. There is the possibility of 3 million people getting a vote but who knows what the take-up will be? Questions might be asked about how the vote could be cast and counted but that is a matter for the Oireachtas. We can decide on that. Some countries have a postal or electronic voting system and there is a way around the problem. There may be concerns about electoral fraud and so on but we can look at the pattern in countries where the system works. Only recently we saw the French population in Dublin going to the French embassy to use their vote and Polish people also queued recently to use their vote. It is seen as a positive process. I am looking forward to hearing some of the questions and debate today.