The UK’s Voting Age Reform: What It Means for Democracy and the Future of Electoral Engagement

Sive Lawrie, Intern
01/08/2025

In a significant move aimed at engaging the younger generation in politics, the government has announced that it will lower the voting age to 16 by the next general election.

The voting age has not been altered in over 50 years, when it was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969, and this latest change - which is part of a broader Elections Bill - marks a major shift in the country’s electoral landscape.

The government’s rationale for lowering the voting age is clear: if young people are introduced to voting early in life, they are more likely to develop lifelong voting habits.

The reform will bring England and Northern Ireland into line with Scotland and Wales, where 16- and 17-year-olds can already vote in Holyrood, Senedd, and local council elections. Advocates posit that this is a move towards greater fairness, ensuring that the political rights of young people are recognised uniformly across the UK.

However, while the Labour Party has officially framed the reform as one that will enhance democratic participation, there’s an underlying belief among critics that lowering the voting age traditionally benefits left-leaning parties and that this is part of the motivation for the change.

In practice, the impact on election results remains far from certain. In contrast to the common conception that young people overwhelmingly support left-leaning parties, it is notable that Reform UK – who are currently leading in the national polls – could also stand to benefit from the change. A pollof 500 young people aged 16 and 17 conducted for ITV News indicated that 33% would support Labour, ahead of 20% for Reform UK.

The increasingly clear gender divide among youth voters is also a noteworthy trend. Data from the British Election Study indicates that young women tend to support left-wing parties like Labour and the Greens, while young men are more likely to back Reform or the Conservatives. This reflects a growing trend of gendered polarisation across the democratic world.

With voting being opened up to 16- and 17-year-olds, it will be interesting to see if the youth gender gap persists in the UK as it has done elsewhere, particularly given the current fragmentation of political support.

One of the key arguments in favour of lowering the voting age is the long-term impact it could have on voter turnout. Evidencefrom Scotland, where 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in the 2014 independence referendum, suggests that early exposure to voting significantly boosts future participation. Almost 80% of young voters who participated in their first election aged 16 or 17 turned out for the 2021 Holyrood elections, compared to roughly 50% of those who voted for the first time at 18.

However, while lowering the voting age is a bold step towards fostering a more inclusive and engaged democracy, this cannot be taken as a guarantee of the long-term political participation of newly enfranchised young voters.

The pollconducted for ITV raised other concerns about introducing votes at 16, notably that the reform would have a marginal impact on youth turnout. Only 18% of respondents would definitely vote if a general election was held tomorrow, and nearly half (49%) felt that they shouldn’t be allowed to vote at all.

Academics have also warned that extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds could widen the inequality divide among UK teenagers due to varying levels of access to political education, with affluent pupils being more likely to receive citizenship classes in school.

By lowering the voting age to 16, Labour has fulfilled a landmark manifesto pledge. While the long-term effects on turnout and political engagement may be positive, the immediate impact remains uncertain. These debates also show little sign of going away, with continued calls for a greater focus on adjacent changes such as rolling out easier registration systems and robust civic education to underpin this broader democratic reform.