Will 16-year-olds be able, more than their seniors, to detach from the emotional highs reached during election time, questions a report commissioned by the Kummissjoni Djoċesana Żgħażagħ.
The report, titled ‘Voting at 16: Extending a right, creating obligations’, asks whether they will be more autonomous than their parents, at least where their political opinion is concerned, and whether they will be able to form a critical judgement.
It asks if 16-year-olds will be strong enough not to be lured by vague or unrealistic promises and benefits and whether the age of technology and communication will enable them to overcome the “local myopic divide and think global”.
“One hopes that such answers will be given in advance through appropriate research rather than having to wait for the real thing to watch it happen.”
Sixteen-year-olds have been given a vote in local council elections for the first time, although they cannot stand as candidates. The report says that while a case could be made on sociological, psychological and legal grounds for according voting rights to 16-year-olds, it is much harder to argue that they should also be permitted to stand as candidates or to represent the community in local councils or parliament.
One hopes such answers will be given in advance through appropriate research
Standing for elections requires a degree of organisational, debating and networking skills. Since this entails exposure to pressures from a range of interests, including constituents and powerful corporations, this also requires a well-formed character and conscience. Whereas in the last election there was a significant difference in the number of votes between Labour and Nationalist parties (35,197), in the previous election the Nationalists were elected to government by only 1,580 votes.
Therefore, the report adds, political parties were likely to aggressively address the population of 16-year-olds.
This would have repercussions with regard to preparation and education for the voting experience, particularly with regard to informed decision making.
The report recommends that citizenship education be implemented as a whole school approach, across the curriculum, and not merely addressed separately in a number of subjects (such as in religion and PSD).
Media education should also be given more importance in order to address the possibility of manipulation and the vulnerability of youth.
Training also needs to be organised for all non-formal and informal educators, be they volunteers or paid staff, in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations.