A new report by the Children's Rights Alliance is calling for the voting age to be reduced to 16.
The Alliance wants to see the government give younger people a voice in the political system.
The youth-led report was compiled by researchers at UCD's School of Education along with six young people aged 13 to 17.
Head of Legal, Policy and Services at the Children's Rights Alliance, Julie Ahern, says younger people want the option to contribute to public life.
"The reason why they suggest a vote at 16 is that children and young people know enough, they know what's going on for them on the ground.
"They know what the issues are, they're educated about what needs to happen and they are the experts in their own lives, and to be taken seriously by Government they felt that the voting age needed to be reduced to 16."
