Votes for 16-year-olds: What Does this Mean for the UK?
By Luke Collins
On the 17th of July, the UK Government pledged to lower the voting age [1] from 18 to 16 years old, a pledge that had been made by the Labour Party during last year’s General Election campaign which has only now been addressed. This proposal is part of the Government’s planned Elections Bill [2] to improve voter turnout which includes proposals to allow bank cards to be used as a legitimate form of voting ID, digital forms of driving licences and veteran cards and the introduction of automatic voting registration so voters would no longer have to register to vote, which the government believes may improve voter turnout, following on from the Welsh Government’s introduction of this provision in January.
Another proposal is ensuring that donations to political parties only come from registered UK voters or UK based organisations in order to prevent foreign influence in British elections, a fear which was heightened in December of last year when it was announced that tech billionaire Elon Musk was reportedly planning to donate $100 million (£82.5 million) to Reform (UK) weeks before Musk fell out with Reform leader Nigel Farage [3]. In the government policy paper released about the Elections bill, the government stated that they hoped that lowering the voting age would encourage more participation in the democratic process by young people and it would ‘empower them to participate in society and affecting real change both locally and nationally’. The government also stated that provisions will be put in place to protect data, a policy already put in place in Scotland and Wales where 16 year olds are eligible to vote will be followed. This represents the biggest change to voting laws since 1969 when the UK voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 and will ensure that 16 and 17 year olds will be allowed to vote in the next General Election. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote as they are old enough to work and pay taxes and therefore, “If you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on”. The Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali [1] whose department has the most influence on this issue stated that this decision was “a generational step forward in restoring public trust and boosting engagement in UK democracy”.
The past of 16 year old-voting across the world
Since 2015, 16 year olds have been given the right to vote in Scotland. In a study conducted by the University of Sheffield [4] researchers found that this policy encouraged a boost in electoral engagement, as young people who benefited from having the vote at 16 were more likely to be engaged in elections than those who had the vote from 18. The study found that only a third of the population supported lowering the voting age to 16 before it was implemented and now 60% of the people support this measure. and similar effects have been seen in Wales where the voting age was lowered to 16 in 2019. Many other countries also have lowered the voting age to 16 starting with Brazil in 1988, and more Latin American countries following suit such as Argentina and Cuba.
In England, the idea that 16 year olds should have the right to vote was not discussed until the tenure of Gordon Brown as Prime Minister but his investigative commission into the issue produced an inconclusive report in 2009. The year after, Brown’s Labour Government was replaced by a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition led by David Cameron who did not think that the voting age should be lowered to 16 in keeping with the Conservative Party line despite the fact that the party allows members as young as 15 to vote in leadership elections [5]. The Labour Party have had lowering the voting age to 16 in every one of their election manifestos since 2010, finally getting the chance to implement it now. The Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, formed in 1979 has long supported lowering the voting age arguing that under UK law, people at aged 16 are deemed competent to make life-altering decisions and that lowering the voting age to 16 would increase voter engagement [6].
Public opinion: a peculiar divergence
A poll conducted by ITV News of 500 16 and 17 year olds found that only 51% think they should be allowed to vote and only 18% said they would definitely vote. In terms of who they would vote for, 33% said they would vote Labour, 20% said they would vote Reform, 18% said they would vote for the Green Party followed by the Liberal Democrats at 12% and the Conservatives a shocking 10% [7]. A YouGov poll also found that 57% of British people believed 16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote however they also found an age disparity to support for this issue with 18-26 year olds generally more supportive of the measure meanwhile those over the age of 75 were against it and many voters were sceptical of Labour’s intentions believing it was a political ploy to gain more votes at a time when the Government’s disapproval rate is at 65% [8].
The second most popular party in the ITV poll, Reform UK, are opposed to lowering the voting age despite the potential gains it presents to them with leader Nigel Farage stated that he believed that if you weren’t old enough to stand as a candidate, you shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Conservative Shadow Communities Minister Paul Holmes reflected his party’s thoughts on the policy calling it ‘rushed’ and ‘confusing for young people’ adding “16-year-olds will be able to vote but not permitted to buy a lottery ticket, consume alcohol, marry, or go to war” [9]. The policy has been welcomed by the Liberal Democrats calling the move a ‘no-brainer’ and the Green Party whose Deputy Leader Zack Polanski stating he would ‘obviously celebrate’ the potential voting boost for his party.
The most well-known youth political organisation in Northern Ireland called Politics in Action [10] have also been campaigning for youth enfranchisement with the announcement of votes for 16 and 17 year olds coming a week after the group had been on a trip to Westminster to attend a conference on the issue. When I reached out to them for comment on the announcement, their statement issued by Executive Director Paul Smyth stated,
“It is wonderful to see the UK Government commit to votes at 16 in all elections and referenda across the UK. Northern Ireland was the first place in the UK to vote in favour of votes at 16 in 2021 but the Executive never progressed on the issue. We hope that young people will get to vote in the 2027 Council and Assembly elections here and call on the Secretary of State to make sure that happens.”
In Northern Ireland, First Minister Michelle O’Neill called the measure ‘a step forward for democracy’ [11] and stated that she would ensure that young people would be eligible to vote in the 2027 Council and Assembly elections. This sentiment was echoed by SDLP Leader Claire Hanna who stated that lowering the voting age was a ‘long held SDLP position’ and “There are many young people in Northern Ireland actively engaged in politics and I know that for generations there has been frustration that they could not play a full role in the democratic process” [11]. A motion was passed in Stormont in September of last year supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Tabled by Sinn Fein MLA Danny Baker, the motion was supported by Baker’s party along with the SDLP, UUP, Alliance and People Before Profit but was opposed by the DUP and TUV [12]. Overall, this policy which will enfranchise 1.5 million people will not have a massive effect on UK elections “outside of hyper marginal seats” [13] according to pollsters More in Common as 16-17 year olds only make up around 3% of the general UK population, but this seismic step in voting rights is still a massive step forward in addressing the issues of engagement in politics and youth participation in democracy.
References
[2] https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-next-elections-bill/
[4] https://sheffield.ac.uk/news/lowering-voting-age-boosts-long-term-participation-elections
[5] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62585183
[6] https://labourforelectoralreform.org.uk/about-lcer/
[8] https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/survey-results/daily/2025/07/17/32a3f/2
[10] https://www.politicsinaction.org/
[12] https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni-assembly-vote-favour-lowering-29997272
