It was one of the main promises in the manifesto with which Keir Starmer brought the Labour Party back to power last July, although just a month later it seemed to have vanished from the British government's priorities as it was not mentioned in the opening speech of the new Parliament, and many considered it buried. However, this Thursday, in a surprise move before the summer recess in Westminster, London announced its intention to initiate the necessary parliamentary procedures to lower the legal voting age from the current 18 years to 16 for the upcoming general elections, scheduled for 2029.
This would be the biggest electoral law reform in the United Kingdom since 1969 - when the age was lowered from 21 to 18 years old - something that Downing Street has described as "a historic moment for democracy" and that its critics denounce as an attempt to tilt the electoral playing field in their favor and revive the popularity of a government whose prestige, with the rebellion it is facing within its own ranks due to the strong rejection of Starmer's social protection reform, is currently at an all-time low.
"For too long, public trust in our democracy has been eroded, and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline," lamented Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner in a statement. "We are taking the necessary steps to break down barriers to electoral participation to ensure that more people have the opportunity to get involved in the UK's democracy," she added. "We cannot consider democracy definitively conquered and, by protecting our elections from abuse and promoting participation, we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future."
The minimum voting age is already 16 in the municipal elections of Scotland and Wales, as well as in the elections to the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) and the Scottish Parliament. However, for the rest of the elections - those of the British Parliament, local elections in England, and all electoral processes in Northern Ireland - the minimum age remains 18.
Lowering the voting age to 16 throughout the United Kingdom would allow over 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds to exercise their right to vote the next time Britons are called to the polls, according to population estimates for 2022 and 2023. This "seismic" change, as Minister of Democracy Rushanara Ali described it yesterday, will not only "modernize our democracy to adapt it to the 21st century," but also "allow the voice of young people to be heard" to "take a generational step forward" in the electoral process.
The government's argument is that, if 16-year-olds are old enough to work and pay taxes, they should also have a voice and a vote. "At 16, a young person can work, pay taxes, can enlist in the army... So there is no reason why, from that age, they cannot have a say in who governs our country," Ali declared in the House of Commons. Prime Minister Starmer supported those words in statements to ITV: "If 16-year-olds are old enough to work and pay taxes, they should also have the opportunity to decide how that money is spent and what direction the government should take." His deputy Rayner, who became a mother at 16, also defended the measure on the BBC: "Young people already contribute to our society, so it is fair that they can have a say on the issues that affect them."
However, the Conservative Party labeled the announcement as "desperately confused" and criticized Starmer's Cabinet for not allowing Parliament time to examine the plans, as they were presented one day after the last question time session before the summer recess. "The cynicism is astonishing. The Labour Party removed [the proposal] from the Queen's Speech after achieving a resounding majority without it. Now that they are plummeting in the polls, they announce it again," denounced former Home Secretary in Sunak's government, James Cleverly. Opposition Conservative MP Paul Holmes, on the other hand, described the plans as a "blatant attempt by the Labour Party, whose unpopularity is leading them to push through major constitutional changes without any consultation".
"Why does this government believe that a 16-year-old can vote, but cannot buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, get married, or even run in the elections they vote in?" asked Tory Minister Paul Holmes to the Minister of Democracy in the Commons. Former Minister Simon Clarke was even more critical: "Let's call it by its name: blatant gerrymandering [manipulation of electoral district maps] in school uniform. If we do not believe that 16 years old are the age of adult maturity, why is the government doing this?"
Opponents of the idea argue that it could benefit the Labour Party, as young people are more likely to vote for left-wing parties, so Starmer hopes that his party will take advantage of this reform. However, polls suggest that Labour's young vote is at risk of being diminished by the competition from the Greens, the Liberal Democrats, and Reform UK. If in last year's general elections 41% of young people aged 18 to 24 voted for Labour, just 12 months later only 33% intend to do so now, while the Greens have gone from getting 19% of the votes in the parliamentary elections to now having 25% in the voting intention among that age group, according to Ipsos and Statista data. According to Nigel Farage, the Labour Party "will be in for the surprise of their lives, as Reform aims to capture the 16 and 17-year-old voters for the upcoming general elections."
Along with lowering the legal age, the Labour government will submit to the vote of MPs a package of proposals aimed at encouraging citizen participation through a new Electoral Law. The turnout in last year's elections, when Starmer managed to end 14 years of Conservative dominance, was only 59.7%, the lowest in general elections since 2001, according to a parliamentary report published last September. Much of the reason for this low turnout had to do with the few forms of identification accepted to vote.
In a country where there is no general identification document, Britons have few options to identify themselves at polling stations, usually resorting to a driver's license or, failing that, a passport. Now, the government proposes to accept bank cards - as long as they include the voter's name and have been issued in the UK - and digital versions (when available) of driver's licenses as valid forms of identification. According to the Electoral Commission, around 4% of people who did not vote in last year's general elections stated that they abstained due to voter identification rules. However, the Conservatives warned that allowing the use of bank cards as identification "could jeopardize the security of the ballot boxes."
The government also announced that it will work on creating an automatic voter registration system in the coming years, with guarantees that citizens are informed of their status in the census and can opt-out if they wish. Currently, in the UK, it is necessary to register to vote, a process that can be done online or by mail.
The Electoral Commission estimates that around eight million people are either incorrectly registered or not listed in the electoral register, a problem that disproportionately affects private sector tenants and young people. In a 2023 report, the Commission suggested that an automated system could involve agencies like the Passport Office providing electoral registration officials with the names and addresses of eligible voters so they can be registered directly. According to the government, their plans would allow eligible voters to be directly included in the census through better data sharing between government agencies.
Finally, to combat foreign interference, London also plans to tighten rules on political donations. Currently, political parties can only accept donations from individuals registered in the UK electoral register or from companies registered in the country conducting economic activity in British territory. However, there is concern that foreign citizens could bypass this restriction by making donations through foreign companies registered in the country "a la Elon Musk". The issue gained prominence late last year when it was reported that the American billionaire could make a donation to Reform UK through the British subsidiary of his social network X. Now, the government will impose controls for contributions over £500 (¤579) from unregistered associations, thus closing legal loopholes used by ghost companies.