Reduce referendum voting age to 16

The decision to get rid of the Seanad from the Oireachtas is a big one, and one that will greatly affect everyone in the country.

That is why, as a teenager, I think that the age of voting should be reduced to 16 on referendums such as this. Changing the constitution is a permanent decision, unlike voting for the Dáil, or a President.

The Dáil changes every five years, and the President every seven. However, constitutional referendums affect today’s teenagers. It is the young people of today who will be dealing with the consequences of a change in the constitution. Whether the Seanad is abolished, reformed or unchanged it will have an effect on those who currently have no say. The Constitution was written for the people of Ireland, and so if it is to be changed, then as many of the people of Ireland as possible should be listened to. An effective way of achieving this would be to reduce the voting age on referendums to 16.