U k govt plans to reduce age of voting from 18 to 16

U k govt plans to reduce age of voting from 18 to 16

This move marks the most significant franchise reform since 1969; the proposals, published in a ‘policy paper’, also included measures to curb election interference from abroad via donations.

The U.K.’s Labour government on Thursday announced plans to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16, a campaign promise for the Labour and the biggest change since 1969, when the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18. The proposals, published in a ‘policy paper’ on Thursday, also included curbs on election interference from abroad via donations.

Lowering the voting age to 16 would bring national elections in line with the voting age in the Welsh and Scottish legislatures and in the local elections in those jurisdictions.

The proposals would bar ‘shell companies’ from making donations, “requiring companies to have made sufficient U.K. (or Ireland) generated income in order to donate”. Eligible Irish companies will be able to donate towards Northern Ireland elections. Former ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk had caused a furore in the U.K. last year, after it was reported that he was considering a large donation to far-right party Reform U.K. It is unclear how the proposed rules would impact Mr. Musk’s ability to fund U.K. parties through his U.K.-based companies.

Thursday’s paper pointed to the Electoral Commission’s estimate that 7-8 million people who were otherwise eligible to vote were not registered. Registration will begin at the age of 14, under the proposed legislation, which aims to move towards automatic voter registration — already under way in several other countries. The government also proposed to introduce U.K. bank-issued cards as an acceptable form of ID at the polling booth as well as digital IDs such as digital veteran cards and driving licences.

The Conservative government of Rishi Sunak had introduced stricter ID requirements in 2023, arguing that it was done to tackle voter fraud and not to benefit at the polls. Soon after the stricter ID laws were passed, former Conservative Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg had suggested that the party had shot itself in the foot by making the changes, when it performed badly in local polls in May 2023. Speaking at the National Conservativism Conference, Mr. Rees-Mogg had suggested that his party had tightened voter ID to garner an electoral advantage.

The new proposals, if they become law, are likely to benefit Labour, because younger U.K. voters tend to vote for centre-left and left parties. Some 20% of in the 70+ year age group voted for Labour in the 2024 elections, while 41% of 18–24-year-olds voted for the party, as per data from YouGov. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s popularity has declined since his party won a landslide victory in July 2024.

“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...” Mr. Starmer said on Thursday.