The UK government plans to lower the voting age to 16, enabling approximately 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the next general election.

This change will be introduced as part of a new Elections Bill, which also includes expanding acceptable voter ID to UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration, and tightening rules on political donations to guard against foreign influence.

Although 16-year-olds can already vote in some elections in Scotland and Wales, the voting age remains 18 for UK-wide and English local elections.

"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 told ITV News.

Minister at the Minstry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Rushanara Ali described the move as “seismic” and said it would give young people a greater voice in the democratic process. 

Ali noted the policy would compel politicians to prioritise youth concerns on issues such as crime, education, employment, and housing.

Voter ID

Labour previously opposed voter ID laws introduced in 2023, but now aims to resolve inconsistencies without fully abolishing the policy. Under new proposals, digital bank cards could be accepted as ID, provided proper safeguards are implemented to prevent misuse.

The government is also developing an automated voter registration system to help tackle the problem of nearly seven million UK residents being missing or incorrectly listed on the electoral register, particularly among young people and renters.

Additionally, reforms to political donation rules are being proposed to prevent foreign interference. Parties would need to verify the UK or Irish ties of companies donating to them, ensuring they are based, owned, or significantly operated in the UK or Ireland and capable of funding donations through post-tax profits. The Electoral Commission’s power to impose fines would increase to a maximum of £500,000 (around $669,000) for breaches of these rules.

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