No, because at 16 we haven't yet reached sufficient cognitive and emotional maturity to make informed political decisions. The human brain continues to develop into its twenties, affecting judgment, decision-making and the ability to anticipate long-term consequences. At 16, many young people don't yet have enough life experience to fully understand political and social issues. Of course, the "impressionable" side is more present, but no more so than at 18.

Furthermore, studies and data on voter turnout show that young people (18-25) vote in smaller numbers than other age groups. Lowering the voting age might not necessarily lead to a significant increase in voter turnout among young people, but could rather dilute the quality of the vote with a low and less informed turnout. At 16, the emphasis should be on civic education and understanding of democratic principles rather than on voting itself. It is crucial to prepare young people to become informed and committed voters.

It's important to note that these arguments don't mean that young people aren't capable of understanding or engaging with political issues. On the contrary, there are many ways of actively involving young people in politics and civil society that may be more appropriate and effective in encouraging active and informed citizenship.

The consequences of many political decisions are long-term, and slow to be realised.  So they affect younger people disproportionately more than their elders. 

But the pragmatic reason for voting to start at 16 (and one which has swayed the UK Government to commit to lowering the voting age here to 16 before our next Parliamentary election) is that then, all first-time voters will still be in full-time education (to age 18) when their first opportunity to actually vote happens; and the practicalities and the habit of voting can be linked to the opportunities for political education and discussion with peers, that a school environment would foster.   

In England we have some appallingly low turnout rates (&lt;70% in Parliamentary, and &lt;30% in local elections) and I'm convinced that this is partly because people don't 'learn' to vote at the same time as they are first able to vote in a real election.