The Social Democrats are introducing legislation that would reduce Ireland’s voting age from 18 to 16, potentially allowing younger citizens to participate in this year’s Presidential Election.
TD Aidan Farrelly, the party’s spokesperson for children, equality and youth, will table the “Reduction of Voting Age to Sixteen Years Bill 2025” today, marking his first proposed legislation since entering the Dáil.
“People aged 16 and 17 are as civically informed as their peers aged over 18, but are unjustly restricted when it comes to democratic participation,” Farrelly said, arguing that young people who work and pay taxes deserve a formal say in how public funds are allocated.
The proposal revives a recommendation made by the Convention on the Constitution in 2013-2014 that has yet to be implemented. Farrelly noted that the previous government had considered making this change before the 2024 Local and European Elections but failed to follow through.
This isn’t the first recent attempt to extend voting rights to younger citizens. A separate bill sponsored by Fianna Fáil Senators Malcolm Byrne, Mary Fitzpatrick, and Erin McGreehan is currently before the Seanad and would lower the voting age for local and European elections.
Farrelly pointed to international precedents, including Scotland’s 2014 Independence referendum and current voting rights for 16-year-olds in Welsh Parliament and local elections.
While acknowledging that voter participation varies across all age groups, Farrelly focused on the “many thousands who care about their communities and their society, who are as passionate about politics, public administration and civic duty as their older peers.”
The TD, who has a background in youth work, described the bill as “one of inherent importance to me as a citizen of Ireland, a youth worker, and a father,” adding that it would send a message to young people that “they and their voices are valued, that they’re trusted, that their insight is needed for the future of this country.”