Abby cannot vote yet, but decisions about education, the environment and technology affect her future. What would she ask every candidate?
There is a phrase I've heard quite a lot when adults talk about elections.
"We're doing this for the next generation."
Which sounds lovely.
Except I'm part of the next generation, and nobody has given me a ballot paper.
I'm not old enough to vote. That's the rule, and I understand it.
But the decisions being made now will still affect me.
## My classroom is political
That might sound strange, because nobody at school is asking me which party I support.
But politicians make decisions about education.
What should students learn?
How much money should schools receive?
Should artificial intelligence be used in classrooms?
What skills will we need when we leave school?
These aren't imaginary questions.
They are decisions that governments can influence, and children live with the results.
## So is the environment
I have been learning about rivers, forests, pollution and what happens when people change the natural world.
Some environmental decisions take years to show their full effects.
Which means decisions made in 2026 could still matter when I'm 30 or 40.
That's quite a long time to live with somebody else's choices.
## And then there's technology
I use technology all the time, especially while learning and creating things for Abby's Labs.
But who decides what information companies can collect about children?
Who makes the rules about online safety?
Who decides how AI can be used?
These questions are not just for technology companies.
Governments have a role too.
## Not having a vote isn't the same as not having a voice
This is the bit I think we forget.
Young people can still ask questions, research issues, contact representatives, contribute to consultations and discuss what matters to them.
We can also learn to recognise the difference between a promise and something that has actually happened.
And we can listen to people who disagree with us.
That's probably useful even when you're an adult.
## Something I'd like to ask every candidate
Forget the complicated slogans for a moment.
I'd like to ask:
What are you doing today that will make life better for children ten years from now?
How will we know whether it worked?
And have you actually asked young people what they think?
I don't think those are unfair questions.
I think they're quite important.
## Abby's question
If you could ask the next Prime Minister one question about your future, what would it be?
Write it down.
Then see whether any of the parties have actually answered it.
This article is about young people's participation in democracy. It does not endorse a political party or candidate.