The UK Youth Parliament is in favour of lowering the voting age to 16.

It wants to see young people?s views being expressed in politics, and lowering the voting age is one of the things that would allow them to do that.

There are people of all ages who aren?t interested in politics or who don?t use their vote. People are allowed to vote once they are 18 but a lot of them don?t bother anyway.

Politics is taught in schools in Citizenship lessons, so there are a lot of young people who do understand it. Those lessons are a really positive thing because they make people more aware of the different parties and what they stand for.

I definitely think there are a lot of young people who actually know more about politics than older people, because they are taught about it at school.

I believe education plays an important part, though, because you can?t be expected to vote at 16 if you don?t know what on earth you are talking about.

Politics should be introduced to children at school from an early age. Maybe not at primary school, but definitely from year seven ? the first year of secondary school.

A lot of young people are interested in politics, especially in the UK Youth Parliament. We were talking about the election and what it is all about at school today.

We only discussed the three main party leaders and all the basic stuff about what the different parties stand for, but you need to know the basics first before you can make your mind up.

If I could vote then I wouldn?t waste it like a lot of people do. If I could start voting at 16 then I would, but I know that once I turn 18 I will definitely go out and vote.

Everyone should use their vote because you can?t complain about things that you want doing, or things that you think are a problem, if you didn?t use your vote when you were given the opportunity.

But if a 16-year-old is going to be allowed to get married, join the army, make decisions about their A level subjects and what they want to do in the future, and smoke, then why shouldn?t they be able to vote as well?

There has to be a balance and it should be the same age for each of those things.

Politicians shouldn?t be able to choose to let 16-year-olds do one thing but not the other because it?s confusing and gives a mixed message.