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The campaign is targeted at the Government. We will seek to influence Parliament, the devolved institutions, The Electoral Commission, local councils and councillors, the media, academics and the general public. The campaign believes that the most effective case for change is to be made by young people themselves and young people led organisations will be at the heart of the campaign.

Different organisations within the campaign have different reasons for supporting such a move, but these reasons include:

Not letting 16 and 17 year olds express their political views through the ballot box gives the impression to young people and to the rest of society that young people's views are not valid and young people are not real citizens and so contributes to the disconnection that many young people feel from the political process and structures.

Whilst a single age for the acquisition of rights may not be desirable and the protective rights that apply to under 18s should remain, there is a great inconsistency about the age at which a person can vote (18), compared with the age at which young people can leave school, work full time, pay taxes, leave home, join the armed forces and receive social security benefits (all 16).

With the introduction into the national curriculum of citizenship education from the ages of 5-16, at 16 a person will have the ability to make an informed choice in an election. Yet 16 and 17 year olds are currently denied the right to use this knowledge.

The arguments put forward for denying 16 and 17 year olds the vote are the same as those put forward previously for denying women and working classes the right to vote, that they were too innocent of the world and that those who had the right knew what was best for them. Those arguments are as wrong now as they were then.

Votes at Sixteen Campaign is a coalition of organisations campaigning to lower the voting age for all public elections in the United Kingdom.

UKYP is running a 'Big Question?' feature asking you to vote online to register your opinion.  See the Online Voting section to vote now!

If you have comments or queries about the campaign you can contact directly Votes at Sixteen Campaign, 6 Chancel Street, London SE1 0UU, by telephone on 020 7928 1622, by fax to 020 7401 7789, by sending an e-mail to info@votesat16.org.uk or visit www.votesat16.org.uk.