Electoral reform society calls for voting age to be lowered to 16 in all ballots
The voting age should be cut to 16 in all ballots following its "huge success" in the Scottish independence referendum, a report has recommended.
The voting age should be cut to 16 in all ballots following its "huge success" in the Scottish independence referendum, a report has recommended.
The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) made the call as it urged a root-and-branch inquiry'' be carried out into how the UK should conduct referenda in the future.
The report was published in the wake of the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union (EU) in June, with the ERS complaining glaring democratic deficiencies'' in the campaign left voters feeling ''ill-informed'' and disengaged.
It has now made nine suggestions on how referenda should be run in the future, including the recommendation for 16 and 17-year-olds to be allowed to vote in both these and public elections.
It also proposes there be a regulated campaign of at least six months before any future referendum ballot is held to allow the public enough time to get to grips with the issues''.
In the run-up to the EU referendum people felt consistently ill-informed'', the report said, while in contrast the debate over Scotland's future in the UKwas given enough time to bed in with the electorate'', adding that partly as a result the scale of deliberation among friends, family and community groups was much greater''.
Turnout in the independence referendum in 2014 was 84.6%, the highest ever recorded in the UK since the introduction of universal suffrage.
During the independence referendum Scotland became a relative hotbed of deliberative political spaces, with citizen-led town hall meetings springing up around the country,'' the report said.
But, in contrast, the ERS stated: Our analysis of the EU referendum has revealed a process which left many people feeling poorly informed about the momentous issue on which they were asked to vote.''
The report said the political big beasts'' in the European campaignlargely failed to engage or convince voters to their side, with many voters appearing switched off by the 'usual suspects''' and also highlighted the increasingly negative'' nature of the debate.
ERS chief executive Katie Ghose said: This report shows without a shadow of a doubt just how dire the EU referendum debate really was.
There were glaring democratic deficiencies in the run-up to the vote, with the public feeling totally ill-informed.
Both sides were viewed as highly negative by voters while the top-down, personality-based nature of the debate failed to address major policies and issues, leaving the public in the dark.
It offered a stark contrast to the vibrant, well-informed, grassroots conversation of the Scottish independence vote, a referendum that left a lasting legacy of ongoing public participation in politics and public life.
From a campaign period that was too short to foster a decent debate, to the fact that misleading claims could be made with total impunity, there are so many lessons to be learned - and this report lays out both the facts and the way forward.
Now that the dust is starting to settle after the EU referendum, we need a complete rethink about the role of referendums in the UK.
It's time for a root-and-branch review of referendums, learning the lessons of the EU campaign to make sure the mistakes that were made in terms of regulation, tone and conduct are never repeated.
Let's make sure that future referendums guarantee the lively and well-informed discussion that voters deserve.''
Stephen Gethins MP, the SNP's Europe spokesman at Westminster, said: The SNP welcomes this report which highlights the serious democratic deficiencies of the EU referendum - concerns that we raised repeatedly before and during the campaign but which the UK Government chose to ignore.
As the ERS point out, the UK Government failed to emulate the gold standard of the Scottish independence referendum - opposing our calls for a longer campaign period that would have allowed a more informed debate, denying 16 and 17-year-olds a vote on their future, holding the referendum too close to the devolved elections and failing to reach out to the pubic or provide adequate information; leaving many people feeling isolated from the political process and unsure of how to vote.
The deficiencies of the EU referendum and the UK Government's failure to make an inspiring case to remain in the EU have had disastrous consequences for us all - threatening to drag Scotland out of the EU against our will, and causing huge damage, instability and uncertainty for the economy and society.
The SNP's priority now is to protect Scotland's relationship with Europe in line with the clear wishes of the Scottish people.''