Lost voters could fill Wembley stadium ten times over
Which disenfranchised section of the population could fill the National Theatre 69 t
Which disenfranchised section of the population could fill the National Theatre 69 times over and the Royal Albert Hall 32 times over. It would take 211 Eurostars to take them all to Paris and they could fill 1,880 standard double decker buses or 1,135 bendy buses.
The answer is the 900,000 16 and 17 year olds who won't be able to vote for their local representatives. That's enough to fill Wembley Stadium ten times over.
Camden councillor Ben Rawlings, spokesperson for the Votes at 16 coalition, says:
"With issues like youth violence and youth services forming some of the top concerns in these elections, it is vital that we allow the majority of responsible and law abiding young people to have their say. Many 16 and 17 year olds also have strong and valid views on other areas such as transport and the environment. When there is a very real concern about low turnout, it can't make sense to deny so many people the vote."
In February 2008 Jack Straw appointed Professor Jonathan Tonge as Chair of a new Youth Citizenship Commission to lead a consultation on lowering the voting age to 16. No further details have yet been released.
