UK to allow 16‑year‑olds to vote in general elections

Britain Lowers Voting Age to 16

On July 4, 2024 Britain marked the final day of its general elections by granting 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds the right to vote in national contests. The move positions the UK among the few countries with the lowest voting age worldwide.

Labour’s Vision for a Modern Democracy

• Labour pledged the change — a core commitment of the party that assumed power last year.
• Prime Minister Keir Starmer argued the reform “modernises our democracy” and aligns national elections with the existing voting age for Scottish and Welsh parliaments.
• Starmer emphasized that 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds “pay in” by working and contributing taxes, so they should be able to determine how public funds are spent.

Legislative Roadmap

The government must draft legislation before Parliament, where it holds a comfortable majority. The bill will replace the previous photo‑ID requirement that discouraged around 750,000 voters in last year’s election.

Global Context

• Only a handful of nations permit 16‑year‑olds to vote nationally. Austria first adopted this rule in 2007.
• Other examples include Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Cuba.

Additional Reform Proposals

• Introduce automated voter registration, already successful in Australia and Canada.
• Accept UK‑issued bank cards as a valid form of ID at polling stations.

Expert Opinion

Harry Quilter‑Pinner, director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, called the proposal “the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,” when the voting age was lowered to 18. He projected the changes could add 9.5 million voters and stressed that “our democracy is in crisis” if politics loses legitimacy.

Conservative Opposition

Conservative critics accused Labour of inconsistency, noting that 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds will still not be eligible to stand for office, purchase lottery tickets, drink alcohol, or marry. Party spokesperson Paul Holmes called the move a “brazen attempt” that “scares unpopularity into making major constitutional changes without consultation.”