In 2014, Scotland voted in a historic referendum on independence. At that referendum, 16 and 17 year olds were given the vote - and proved decisively why they deserved it. They engaged strongly and passionately with the debate, and an estimated 75% of them turned out to vote.



Now, the UK is being given the chance to vote on its membership of the EU. This is a decision which will affect all of us, and an issue which many young people care deeply about. If the government wants the referendum to be fair and inclusive, 16-year-olds should be given the opportunity to have their say. This isn't a decision that can be reversed after the next election, or perhaps any time in our lifetimes, and it will have a huge impact on young people's futures - so it's vital that they are allowed to vote on it.



We call on the UK government to make the voting age in the EU referendum 16.