Mr. James Doorley:

I thank the Senator. The extension of voting rights to young people aged 16 and 17 is something we have long supported and campaigned for. The Convention on the Constitution in 2013 recommended voting rights be extended to young people. I agree with the Senator that we may have a difficulty asking a 16-year-old to register for something he or she may not be able to actually use for another two years. We always say that what youth organisations and schools do around democracy and encouraging youth participation is great. However, many young people say they can talk about democracy but they would like the opportunity to practise it, to actually go out and vote and express their opinions on local issues. I fully agree with the Senator. We would like to see the Government move ahead of the 2024 local and European elections to extend voting rights. It does not need constitutional change and can be done via legislation. We just saw young people in Scotland and Wales having the right to vote at 16 in their respective parliamentary elections. It is a question of when and not if. We really would like to see the Government move in this legislation and introduce an amendment to allow young people to vote in the local and European elections in 2024. We have time to do that if it is done in the next year or two.