UK government to lower voting age to 16
"I think it's really important that 16 and 17-year-olds have the right to vote, because they're old enough to go out and work, they're old enough to pay taxes, so they contribute," said the prime minister, Keir Starmer.
Elections United Kingdom
The British Labour government announced on Thursday its intention to lower the voting age for elections from 18 to 16 years old.
"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 pay in," said the prime minister, Keir Starmer.
"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," Starmer added.
Only a small number of countries allow 16-year-olds to vote in national elections.
These include Austria (the first EU country to lower the voting age to 16 when it did so in 2007), as well as Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba.
Presented as a measure to modernize British democracy, it was part of the election program that brought Keir Starmer and Labour to power in July 2024.
The aim of this measure is to encourage young people to go to the polls.
Other planned changes include the acceptance of UK-issued bank cards as a valid form of identification at polling stations.
Voter identification
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