At the age of 16, young people begin to work, pay tax and can even join the military – so why can’t they vote?

At the age of 16, young people begin to work, pay tax and can even join the military – so why can’t they vote?

In 1969, the UK became the first country to lower its age of franchise to 18. At the time the UK was going through a period of social and economic change, with people arguing that the younger generations deserved a say in their country’s politics. 55 years on, after a global pandemic, a withdrawal from the EU and a tumultuous period of economic uncertainty, one could say that throughout all these events, 16- and 17-year-olds have been severely a…