The British government announced plans on Thursday to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in general elections, a landmark reform that would make the United Kingdom one of the countries with the lowest voting age globally.
This move fulfills a key campaign promise by the Labour Party, which won power last year, and is part of broader reforms aimed at addressing what critics describe as a “crisis” in the democratic system, particularly declining voter turnout.
The decision is expected to spark debate, especially from those who argue that the change benefits the ruling party politically, given younger voters are seen as more likely to favour the centre-left Labour platform.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the reform, saying: “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, they are old enough to pay taxes, so (they) pay in.”
“And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go,” he added.
To implement the reform, the government must present a bill to parliament. With Labour holding a strong majority, the legislation is widely expected to pass.
Globally, only a few countries allow 16-year-olds to participate in national elections. Austria became the first EU country to do so in 2007, followed by others such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Cuba.
Labour ministers have framed the reform as a necessary step to “modernise our democracy” and improve civic participation.
They also noted that the change aligns with the current voting age already in place for regional elections in Scotland and Wales.
Additional reforms include automated voter registration, a system already used in countries like Australia and Canada, and expanding acceptable voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards.
These measures follow controversial electoral law changes by the previous Conservative government, which mandated photo ID at the polls, a move the Electoral Commission estimated prevented around 750,000 people from voting in last year’s election.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director at the Institute for Public Policy Research, praised the government’s proposals as transformative.
“The biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,” referencing the last time the voting age was lowered, from 21 to 18.
He emphasized the impact such reforms could have: “Lowering the voting age and introducing automated voter registration could add 9.5 million more people to the voter rolls.”
“Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy,” Quilter-Pinner warned, endorsing the government’s plans.
