16 and 17 year-olds allowed to vote in the next General Election
In the next General Election around 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote. It is the biggest change to voting rights since the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969.
Why was this change introduced?
Many supporters of this change say that it is a matter of fairness. At 16, people can work, pay taxes and serve in the military, but currently cannot vote. Many young people are engaged with current affairs through school, social media or community activism. Many young people say that they should have a say in how the country is run and have their voices heard in the decisions that affect them.
Improving political engagement
In the last general election in 2024, young adults (18-24) had the lowest turnout at around 37% but allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote could improve long term political engagement. Research shows that people who start voting young are more likely to keep voting throughout their lives.
In Scotland and Wales, 16 and 17 year olds can already vote in local elections and national Parliament elections. Evidence from the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 showed that 16 and 17-year-olds were highly engaged and took their vote seriously, with turnout among this age group comparing favourably to older groups.
This reform could change political priorities as parties try to appeal to this new group of voters. This could mean that more policies are focused on priorities for young people such as climate action, mental health, digital safety and housing affordability.
How to vote
Getting Registered: The government plans to set up an automatic voter registration system in the next few years. People will be told if they’re registered and can choose to opt out. But for now, everyone still needs to register to vote themselves.
You can register to vote from age 16, even before the new laws are introduced. The easiest way is online on the gov.uk website. You’ll need your National Insurance number and postcode. It only takes about 5 minutes.
What You’ll Need:
- Your National Insurance number
- Your current address
- Photo ID when you actually vote (like a passport, driving licence). As part of the plans to make sure that eligible voters aren’t put off from voting, bank cards will also be an accepted form of ID at the polling station
Key Dates: The government announced these changes in July 2025. Parliament still needs to approve it, but it should be ready before the next general election (which has to happen by August 2029 at the latest).
