UK To Reduce Voting Age To 16, These Countries Have Already Done It

The United Kingdom has announced its plans to lower the voting age to 16, and the Labour Party-led government wants to do it before the next General Election. The proposal, which is likely to have a massive impact on the country's democratic system, comes months after the UK witnessed its lowest turnout in the 2024 national polls since 2001.

The step is aimed at ensuring maximum participation in all elections once the proposed changes are written into law. The move will grant around 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote when the country goes to the polls for the next general election in 2029, BBC reported.

But not all parties supported the idea.

While Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that young people should have the opportunity to say what they want their money spent on, Conservative MP Paul Holmes said the government's proposal was "hopelessly confused".

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said he didn't support lowering the voting age to 16 "even though we get lots of votes".

Apart from the voting age, the government also plans to expand the purview of UK-issued bank cards, which will be treated as legitimate voter ID in Great Britain, but they must have the elector's name, according to reports.

Not just that, once the changes come into effect, people will be able to apply for a postal vote at least 14 days before a poll. Earlier, the deadline was 11 days. This is to ensure people get their ballot in time.

The proposed law will bring uniformity as far as the age of voting rights across Britain is concerned. In Scotland and Wales, youngsters could already vote to elect their representatives to the devolved Parliament, but not so for the British polls.

Countries where the voting age is 16:

In Europe, only Austria, Malta, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have granted voting rights to people who are at least 16 years old. Among other nations, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba, too, have voting age reduced to 16, according to The Guardian.

Parts of Germany, Israel, and Estonia allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in some, if not all, elections. While 16-year-olds are allowed to vote in Nicaragua, the legal voting age in Indonesia, East Timor, Ethiopia, North Korea, and Sudan is 17.