Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the coming months the House will debate the Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016. If passed, citizens who have reached the age of 16 will have the right to vote in local government and European Parliament elections. It is worth noting any attempt to widen the franchise for referenda, general or presidential elections will require a referendum of its own, as proposed by the Constitutional Convention in 2013. The Bill is ambitious, achievable and, above all, the right thing to do. Sinn Féin believes now more than ever is the right time to do it, to increasingly find ways of strengthening participation and democracy. Does the First Minister believe 16 and 17 year olds casting their vote and having their say has strengthened Scottish democracy and the future of Scotland?