16-, 17-year-olds get to vote on Scottish independence

LONDON — To misquote a famous British rock group, they are talking and voting about their generation.

Scotland's independence vote Thursday represents the first time voters in the United Kingdom as young as 16 will help decide a significant matter of state: Should Scotland stay in the union or should it go (to misquote another British rock group)?

About 120,000 teens ages 16 and 17 are likely to cast ballots, estimates Graeme West, who helps run Generation Yes, an organization raising awareness for young Scottish voters. In a tight vote, they could change the course of history.

Kirsten Murphy, 17, who lives in the east end of Glasgow, said Wednesday she backs Alex Salmond's pro-independence Scottish National Party because she is convinced the SNP will be better placed to protect essential welfare services such as the National Health Service (NHS) — the U.K.'s public health system — that directly affect her quality of life.

"I feel that if there is a no vote, there is a threat to the NHS from privatization," said Murphy, who has long-term health problems. "I am hopeful about the vote, but I also feel quite sick about it because I am fearful about the outcome."

At age 16, Scottish residents can join the military, get married, work and pay taxes. Eighteen is the legal drinking age, as well as when residents can cast ballots in general elections.

Murphy said her perception of those ages 16 and 17 in her school was that they were overwhelmingly backing independence. She said she knew of about 20 schools in the Glasgow area that had recently held independence debates, and most appeared to favor breaking away from England.

West said 16- and 17-year-old voters make up a large proportion of newly registered voters in Scotland, but his organization did not know how many of them would choose to back independence because such data were being publicly withheld over privacy concerns. West said he expects the majority of young voters would favor a split with England.

However, a poll this month by TubeMogul, a market research firm, concluded that lowering the voting age has not necessarily helped the "Yes" campaign. The TubeMogul survey found 57% of young people ages 16 to 18 would vote no while 43% backed independence for Scotland.

Stephen Anderson, 17, from Aberdeen is one teen who is firmly on the "no" side.

"I'm part of the next generation of young people who will be left with the legacy of this referendum where the ramifications of the result will be felt throughout our lives," Anderson, who turns 18 on the day of the vote, wrote in a recent Facebook post.

"I'm not blind to the fact that Scotland has many problems, but so does the rest of the U.K. I know from what history teaches us that as part of the U.K., we can make radical transformations that result in the betterment of millions of Scots," he said.