![]() In this paper, we test whether these critics are right. Thus, their vote choice would be driven more strongly by expressive instead of instrumental considerations ( Tóka, 2009), and their policy views would not be well-represented by political actors. While they might vote for the sake of voting, they would not challenge the government to respond to their interests. A further consequence would be that citizens under 18 might not make use of their vote as effectively as older voters. It is suggested that this will lead to low turnout rates, comparable to – if not even lower than – those observed among citizens aged 18–25 ( Electoral Commission, 2004). The main argument made against lowering the voting age is that young people under 18 lack the ability and motivation to participate effectively in the electoral process ( Chan and Clayton, 2006). However, the proposed reform is not without its critics. For example, it is also seen as a way to ensure that the interests of young citizens are represented in the political system ( Votes at 16, 2008). Of course, lowering the voting age is not only justified as a way to stop the decline in turnout. In the long term, this higher level of participation at a young age may then facilitate the early development of a habit of voting (e.g. ![]() This is because young people under 18 are likely to still be in school and live with their families, two factors that have been shown to encourage turnout through a variety of socialisation mechanisms ( Franklin, 2004 Highton and Wolfinger, 2001 Bhatti and Hansen, 2010). Supporters of such a reform argue that lowering the voting age would have a positive impact on electoral participation. Power Commission, 2006 Votes at 16, 2008 Hart and Artkins, 2011). In light of these developments, it has been suggested that the minimum voting age should be lowered to 16 (e.g. This has led to fears that democratic legitimacy may decline as elections increasingly fail to act as the ‘institutional connection’ ( Topf, 1995a) between citizens and the state. Aarts and Wessels, 2005 Blais and Rubenson, 2007 Franklin et al., 2004). ![]() The level of turnout at elections is often seen as an indicator of the health of a democracy ( Fieldhouse et al., 2007), yet there is a general trend towards declining rates of electoral participation in Western Europe (e.g.
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