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What happens when 16-year-olds get the vote? Other countries are already seeing the benefits | Christine Huebner

They turn out at high rates and are engaged, but don’t expect electoral shocks – they’re as politically diverse as anyoneThe government has announced it will lower the voting age to 16 for all UK elections in time for the next general election. In 1969, the UK became the first major democracy in the world to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. Few people knew what to expect from this change.Things are different now. In places such as Austria, Argentina and Brazil, as well as parts of Germany and, in the UK, Wales and Scotland, 16- and 17-year-olds are already allowed to vote in some or all elections.Christine Huebner is a lecturer in quantitative social sciences at the University of SheffieldDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

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