The United Kingdom has introduced a sweeping election reform strategy that sees 16-year-olds voting.
“Sixteen year olds will be given the right to vote in all UK elections as part of seismic changes to modernise UK democracy, delivering a key manifesto commitment and helping to restore trust in politics through our Plan for Change,” the government announced, explaining that the effort is a “major step towards meeting a manifesto commitment, ushering in the biggest change to UK democracy in a generation.”
“I think it’s really important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the vote because they’re old enough to go out to work, they’re old enough to pay taxes, so to 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,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters. “I’m really pleased that we’re able to bring more young people into our democracy and give them a chance to have a say over how their taxes are going to be paid, and what they’re going to be used for.”
According to the U.K. government’s policy paper on the matter, engaging with voters at an early age will “build the foundations for their lifelong participation in our electoral processes.” The paper states, “Votes at 16 is critical to engaging young people in our democracy, empowering them to participate in society and affecting real change both locally and nationally.”
The paper also described the government’s push to expand voter identification, including using U.K.-issued bank cards and implementing digital voter ID.
Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK, condemned the lowered voting age, arguing that if the electoral process is reformed, the educational system ought also to be shifted.
“The problem with this is, not only do half of youngsters not want the vote, but they have to stay at school now until they’re 18,” he said in a video, going on to describe bias in schools. “The educational establishment is full of left-wing prejudice, is full of anti-reform bias, and frankly, if 16 to 18 year olds at school are going to be able to vote, we’re going to have to make sure that our education system is teaching kids to make their own minds up and not indoctrinating them.”
