Extending democracy to young people: is it time for youth suffrage?

Across Europe, there has been a growing interest in lowering the voting age to 16. Campaigners have met with some success in Scotland, Norway and Austria, but the age of franchise in England remains 18. Arguments on each side of the lobby are hampered by a lack of empirical data from real examples. This has left commentators relying on supposition and the voting patterns of the slightly older 18-24 year old group. This paper addresses that evidence gap with election data from London Borough of Lewisham youth elections, gathered as part of a wider evaluation of the Young Mayor Programme. This evidence, set alongside experiences in Scotland, Norway and Austria, brings a new perspective and points to the need for a further, more open review of voting age.