Voting age to be lowered to 16 in landmark electoral reform

The UK Government has announced plans to lower the national voting age to 16, with legislation expected to pass in time for the next general election, which is due to take place by 2029.

The move fulfils a key Labour manifesto pledge from the 2024 general election, and forms part of a broader Elections Bill aimed at modernising the UK’s democratic system.

If successfully passed by Parliament, the bill will make the UK one of only seven countries in the world to allow 16-year-olds to vote in national elections.

Brazil was the first country to lower its voting age to 16 in 1988, and has since been followed by the likes of Austria and Malta.

Around 1.5 million 16- and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote at the next general election, making up around 2% of the electorate

The change will also bring national elections in line with elections in the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales, where 16-year-olds can already vote.

It marks the most significant change to the electorate since 1969, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.

Around 1.5 million 16- and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote at the next general election, making up around 2% of the electorate.

The think tank More in Common found that newly eligible teenage voters are unlikely to have a major impact on election results, given that “younger people are slightly less likely to vote than older generations”.

However, their votes could still sway results in local elections, especially in a divided political environment, More in Common’s Luke Tryl added.

They’re old enough to go out to work, they’re old enough to pay taxes […] I think if you pay in you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer

The reform, announced last week, has had mixed reactions from political parties across the spectrum.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that he thought it was important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the right to vote. He told ITV News: “They’re old enough to go out to work, they’re old enough to pay taxes […] I think if you pay in you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on.”

However, Conservative Shadow Housing Minister Paul Holmes criticised the change in the Commons: “Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they are voting in?”

Reform UK’s Leader Nigel Farage also opposed the change, accusing the government of trying to “rig the political system”. He claimed it would allow teachers to influence young people with “left-wing prejudice” and “anti-Reform bias”.

However, he suggested that Labour would get the “shock of its life” as Reform is intending to appeal to 16- and 17-year-old voters at the next general election.

We believe that this reform is a step in the right direction for a more just representation of people’s votes, and we strongly urge the government to make further steps towards a large-scale electoral reform

Elliot Retzepis, Warwick Greens President

On campus, the President of Warwick Greens Society, Elliot Retzepis, told The Boar that the society is excited about the opportunity for young people to shape their future by voting for parties that “genuinely prioritise their voices and advocate for those most in need”.

Retzepis added: “We believe that this reform is a step in the right direction for a more just representation of people’s votes, and we strongly urge the government to make further steps towards a large-scale electoral reform.”

Warwick Liberal Democrats have also “enthusiastically welcomed” the news, calling it a “progressive and necessary evolution of our democratic process”. David-Leigh Waters, the society’s President, told The Boar: “We firmly believe that 16- and 17-year-olds contribute significantly to our society, paying taxes, working, and engaging in community life, use like any other citizen.”

Waters did add, however, that political engagement among young people remains an issue, and that plans should be put in place to empower teenagers to vote in elections, including “enhanced civics education and proportional representation”. The Liberal Democrats President concluded: “Ultimately, extending the freedom to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds is a significant win for our democracy […] We are confident this will lead to a more representative and engaged political landscape.”

The mixed political reaction towards the policy reflects wider polling data on the change. A poll by Merlin Strategy revealed that 49% of 16- and 17-year-olds are opposed to lowering the voting age – just shy of the 51% who support it.

When asked who would make the best Prime Minister from the leaders of the main parties, 39% of young people said Sir Keir Starmer, 26% said Nigel Farage, while 18% said Kemi Badenoch, and only 16% said Ed Davey.

The most popular politician though, among 16- and 17-year-olds, was Jeremy Corbyn, with 12% of young people surveyed saying they “strongly approve” of him, higher than both Starmer and Farage, who each received 9%.

When it came to key concerns, young people surveyed in the poll ranked the economy, healthcare, crime and law and order, Israel-Palestine relations, and immigration as their top priorities

Corbyn could indeed be leading a new political party himself, alongside Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana, by the next election, after Sultana left the Labour Party two weeks ago to set up the new party, claiming that “Westminster is broken”.

When it came to key concerns, young people surveyed in the poll ranked the economy, healthcare, crime and law and order, Israel-Palestine relations, and immigration as their top priorities, while issues like climate change, housing, and education ranked lower.

Other reforms in the sweeping package of changes announced by the government include expanding voter ID to cover bank and veterans’ cards, following criticism that previous ID rules may have prevented up to 750,000 people from voting in 2024.

There will also be a crackdown on loopholes allowing foreign money or illegitimate donations to political parties through shell companies, with new checks on political donors.

Warwick Labour and the Warwick Conservatives were also approached for comment.