The United Kingdom is to lower its voting age in general elections from 18 to 16, giving the country one of the lowest voting ages in the world in what the government says is a bid to “modernise our democracy”.

The centre-left Labour government announced the plans on Thursday, following through on a campaign pledge it made before coming to power last year. The move is one of several planned changes to voting rules in a bid to improve democratic participation and remove barriers to voting.

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“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 [they] pay in,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

“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.

There are currently about 1.6 million 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK.

National alignment

The change, which will still require the government to bring legislation before Parliament, where it has a comfortable majority, will align voting ages across the UK.

Currently, 16-year-olds in Wales and Scotland can vote in the devolved Welsh and Scottish parliaments, respectively, as well as in local elections, but not in the UK’s general elections.

Globally, most countries have a voting age of 18, although some countries like Austria, Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador allow for voting in national elections at age 16.

Belgium, Germany and Malta allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament, but not their national legislatures.

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Bank cards for ID

Other planned changes include introducing automated voter registration and making UK-issued bank cards an accepted form of ID at polling stations.

The latter change has been made in response to a requirement introduced by the previous Conservative government for voters to show a photo ID, which the Electoral Commission claimed had prevented about 750,000 people from voting in the 2024 election.

Voter turnout in that election was 59.7 percent, the lowest level since 2001.

“For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,” Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said.

“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy.”

Mixed responses

The opposition Conservative Party criticised the changes to the voting age, with Paul Holmes, the party’s spokesperson on community issues, calling the policy “hopelessly confusing” about the age of majority.

“Why does this Government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they’re voting in?” he said in the House of Commons, Press Association Media reported.

But others applauded the move.

Naomi Smith, chief executive of civil society campaign group Best for Britain, said the change was “a brave choice set to benefit generations to come”.

Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank, said he backed the move, the AFP news agency reported.

“Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy,” he said.