TG backs lowering voting age, but ‘education is crucial’

Together Gibraltar has published its response to the government’s consultation paper on lowering the voting age to 16, supporting the move and proposing reforms in education to accompany the change.

The party said lowering the voting age would serve as an effective way of improving civic participation among young people.

And while it acknowledged concerns centred on political maturity and the potential for undue influence on youngsters, it said these did not outweigh the benefits.

“Based on academic findings and Gibraltar’s unique context, we believe that getting young people involved in voting earlier would increase the average political maturity of Gibraltar’s voting population,” TG said in the submission.

Citing academic research, it added: “If the youth vote is based on lower levels of political knowledge and attitude, will 16-year-olds vote in an uninformed manner, or one that does not represent their belief system and instead that of their parents?”

“Currently, there is very little empirical evidence for this concern, and there is greater evidence that 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds possess similar ‘political maturity’ as young adults and are less likely to be informed by their parents voting if they are informed correctly.”

TG’s submission draws on feedback following a consultation conducted by the party with its members.

A key factor highlighted was the need for education as “a crucial means” to foster political awareness.

TG said the potential for voters to be influenced by relatives was not limited to youngsters, adding that parents are often themselves influenced by their children as they become politically aware.

To address these concerns, it urged an educational programme on political and media literacy, perhaps delivered through schools.

“By involving the Gibraltarian youth in politics at this age, they are more likely to feel engaged in the political process at a time when they are developing their democratic norms and by doing so bolstering their political self-confidence,” the party said in the submission.

“Since they are in school, it is possible to reach them via education, making them more likely to engage within the political sphere.”

“Anecdotally, this appeared within the 2021 abortion referendum whereby 16-18-year-old voters were more likely to vote than 20-30-year-old voters, perhaps a reflection that 16-18-year-olds are more engaged with the political goings on in Gibraltar than their older cohort.”

It said any programme of civic education should aim to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices, to understand the workings of Gibraltar’s institutions, and to critically evaluate the role of media and information in politics.

With those caveats, TG said its membership and executive “overwhelmingly supported” the idea that 16-year olds should be allowed to vote.

“It is fundamental to our values to make politics more inclusive, and it would be misinformed to exclude a group that we know can make a difference, and that research shows are more than capable of political maturity,” it said in the submission.

“Nowadays, young people and older generations often hold differing perspectives on political issues, but because 16-year-olds cannot vote, their perspectives are inadequately represented.”

“Lowering the voting age is not just about gathering more votes, it is about representation and participation.”

TG recognised that political maturity is “not a fixed trait that appears at 18”, but rather a process that develops over time from a young age.

“In our report we have highlighted the unique context of Gibraltar, where politics plays an outsized role in the lives of our people,” TG said in a statement on Wednesday announcing publication of its submission to the government’s consultation.

“Young people in particular are already exposed to and involved in political issues, our education system must give them the critical skills to understand local issues and the space to explore their ideas.”

“Finally, while we applaud the government for launching this consultation so early into their term, we have put forward concerns around the poor timing and circulation of the consultation paper, which limited the opportunity for public input and debate.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in our surveys and conversations and hope that the government will take these arguments on board when debating this issue further in parliament.”

“We remain open for collaboration with the government, and all other parties and stakeholders on this important topic.”