UK Plans To Lower Voting Age To 16 By Next General Election
The United Kingdom plans to lower its voting age from 18 to 16 by the next general election in 2029, British officials announced Thursday. The move would fulfill a Labour Party campaign promise after the party returned to power last July.
"They're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes ... 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 said.
His party framed the change as a boost to public trust in democracy, allowing about 1.6 million 16- and 17-year-olds in Britain — which has a population of roughly 68 million — to vote.
THE DISSENTERS
Opponents point to research about brain development to support their stance that you should be 18 to vote. They also refer to other significant milestones – for example, joining the military and buying alcohol – which you must be 18 years old to do in the UK.
While the brain continues developing into a person’s mid-to-late 20s, particularly the prefrontal cortex (which helps with planning and decision-making), some research suggests 16-year-olds generally possess the cognitive maturity to vote responsibly.
A study published in 2014 found that voters under 18 in Austria — the first European country to lower the voting age to 16 — had turnout levels similar to older Austrians, arguing that younger voting could predict stronger future civic engagement.
Both houses of Parliament still need to approve the measure before it becomes law.
STATE OF PLAY AROUND THE
Lowering the voting age remains a global debate. While most countries set the minimum at 18, the UK would join Brazil, Austria, Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, and Ecuador in allowing 16-year-olds to vote. Some EU countries — including Belgium and Germany — have also lowered the voting age to 16 for European Parliament elections.
Efforts to lower the voting age have gained some traction in the U.S., with nine municipalities lowering the voting age to 16 for local elections. Newark, New Jersey, along with Berkeley and Oakland, California, permit younger voters to participate in school board elections.
