UK: SNP Proposes Lowering Parliament Candidacy Age to 16

Facts

• On Wednesday, the devolved Scottish Government published proposals for the minimum age of candidates for Holyrood elections to be cut from 18 to 16, which would reportedly be the youngest minimum age for a national political candidate worldwide.
• Scotland lowered the voting age ahead of the 2014 independence referendum. This then carried over to the 2016 Holyrood election, but the age for candidacy remained 18.
• The consultation document acknowledged that there would be challenges with 16 and 17-year-olds running in Holyrood elections, such as "wellbeing concerns," including exposure to hate speech as well as potential implications to the candidate's education.
• The document includes a series of other electoral reforms, such as extending candidacy rights to foreign nationals with the right to vote.
• According to polls conducted since the UK Supreme Court rejected Scotland's right for a second independence referendum without needing the consent of Westminster in November, on average, 72% of those aged 16-24 stated they would vote to leave the UK.

Sources: Telegraph, Yahoo, Scot, and Merco Press.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Courier. Despite concerns, the success of the Scottish Youth Parliament is proof that a significant number of young people are already engaged in politics. There's no reason to see a 16 or 17-year-old elected as anything but a positive force, with the voices of the future being the ones that truly matter.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Spectator (UK). With Scottish independence lagging, Nicola Sturgeon's desperate attempt to retain the initiative is to turn 16-year-olds into members of the Scottish Parliament. Rather than attempting to implement meaningful policy, Sturgeon's Scottish National Party is solely driven by gaining independence and will go so far as to unleash the pressure of the debate's toxicity onto adolescents.

Predictions