A think-tank has called for children to be given the right to vote at birth, and this should be exercised on their behalf by a family member until the child reaches the age of 14. The call was made by Demos in the report, Other People's Children. It said 'baby ballots' would introduce a family weighting to the electoral system, and encourage parents or guardians to think in more detail about how different political parties would serve the interests of children.
A think-tank has called for children to be given the right to vote at birth, and this should be exercised on their behalf by a family member until the child reaches the age of 14.
The call was made by Demos in the report, Other People's Children. It said 'baby ballots' would introduce a family weighting to the electoral system, and encourage parents or guardians to think in more detail about how different political parties would serve the interests of children.
The report also called for the creation of a new framework for inspections to provide insight into children's quality of life. It said Ofsted, the Social Services Inspectorate and the Audit Commission, together with the newly-established Commission for Health Improvement, should produce joint reviews of the quality of public services for children.
The report is available from Demos on 020 7401 5330.
