UK Voting Age to be Lowered to 16

The UK voting age has arguably denied young people a voice for many years.

That is all set to change by the next general election. As part of a major shift in democracy, 16 and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote.

According to the government, this change is a reform aimed at championing fairness for teenagers of this age.

The entire voting age will be brought down to 16. Scotland and Wales have already implemented this change for the Holyrood and Senedd elections.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.

“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our plan for change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give 16-year-olds the right to vote.

“We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation, we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future.”

Lowering the voting age in the UK in this manner is also the biggest change to the electorate in over five decades. In 1969, it was lowered from 21 to 18.

Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali confirmed the change is scheduled to take place by 2029, but could be implemented earlier.

She said: “At 16, a young person can work, they pay taxes, they can join the Army.

“So there’s no reason why, from that age, they shouldn’t have a say in who governs our country.”

The UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said: “I think it’s really important that 16 and 17-year-olds have the vote.

“Because they are old enough to go out to work and they are old enough to pay taxes.”

Forms of voter ID will also be expanded to include UK-issued bank cards. 

Speaking about this, Ali added: “We’re going to make sure we take the time to introduce the appropriate changes, and that those changes are done gradually, to make sure that there aren’t any risks of abuses or things going wrong.”

Young people spoke to the BBC about what they thought about the change in the UK voting age.

Angel said: “I think there is so much opportunity for young people to become more involved in the political system.

“It does depend on a lot of factors, but I think it’s such a great opportunity.”

Manel expressed: “Coming with votes for 16, we need to ensure that there is a fair level of political literacy because of the rise of AI.”

Zahra added: “When you’re 16, you can join the Armed Forces, have a job, and pay taxes.

“But it doesn’t seem right that they don’t have the right to vote.”

These young people specified that issues including housing, poverty, education, knife crime, and mental health were important to them.

As the UK voting age changes, we can hope for a more inclusive democracy where as many voices as possible are heard.