Young People¿s Human Rights and The Politics of Voting Age explores the broader societal implications of voting age eligibility requirements and the legislative bar against youth voting in North America and in Commonwealth countries (where ¿youth¿ is defined as persons 16 and over but under age 18). The issue is raised as to whether the denial of the youth vote undermines democratic principles and values and ultimately the human dignity of youth. This is the first book to address the topic of the youth vote in-depth as a fundamental human rights concern relating to the entitlement in a democracy to societal participation and inclusion in influencing policy and law which profoundly affects one¿s life. Also examined are international perspectives on the issue of voting age eligibility. The book would be extremely valuable for instructional purposes as one of the primary texts in undergraduate or graduate courses on children¿s human rights, political psychology, political science , sociology of law or society and as a supplementary text for courses on human rights or constitutional law and would be of interest also to members of the general public concerned with children¿s human rights issues.

Sonja C. Grover, Ph.D., is a Professor with Lakehead University. She has authored over 80 refereed articles and has focused on the topic of human rights/children's rights publishing in leading international human rights and law journals. She has contributed two book chapters for a 2007 edited volume on children's rights in Canada and presented papers at various international conferences on the topic of human rights and vulnerable groups including at UNESCO. Dr. Grover is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Human Rights. She is also the single author of several books in the human rights field including: Children's Human Rights: Challenging Global Barriers to the Child Liberation Movement (Sandstone Academic Press, 2007); The Child's Right to Legal Standing (Lexis Nexis, 2008), Prosecuting International Crimes and Human Rights Abuses Committed Against Children: Leading International Court Cases (Springer, 2010) and The European Court of Human Rights as a Pathway to Impunity for International Crimes (Springer, 2010).

Part I Alternative Philosophical Perspectives on the Origin and Nature of Human Rights.- Part II Examples of Contextual Factors in the Youth Struggle for the Vote.- Part III The Human Rights Imperative and Minimum Voting Age.- Part IV: Austria and the Vote at 16.- Part V The U.K. Example of Resistance to the Vote at 16: The U.K. Electoral Commissions and Social Scientists.- Part VI: The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Does it Really Make Age Discrimination in the Vote Against Under 18s Constitutional? The Broader Lessons.- Part VII The Youth Vote as a Human Right and Resistance from High Profile International and National Human Rights Gatekeepers.- Part VIII Unconstitutional Age-Based Discrimination in the Vote Applied on Account of Young Age.- Part IX Minors¿ Perspectives on Their Citizenship Status.- Part X Two Different Standards for Enfranchisement: A `Rights Standard¿ for Adults and a Supposed `Competency Qualification Standard¿ for Minors.- Part XI: Conclusion.- Reference.