Bill 4080 2nd Reading Lords

Representation of the People Bill

Make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, referendums and recall petitions; to make provision about election agents’ addresses; to make provision about political expenditure and political donations; to make provision about information to be included in electronic campaigning material; to make provision about offences and civil sanctions in connection with elections, referendums and recall petitions and with donations and expenditure for political purposes; to repeal provision about the designation of a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission; to make provision about the disclosure of information by the Electoral Commission; to make provision about the disqualification of offenders for holding elective offices, and their sentencing, where offences are aggravated by hostility towards persons involved in elections, referendums or recall petitions or holders of such offices; and for connected purposes.

Introduced by
Steve Reed · Labour · Streatham and Croydon North
Originating house
Commons
Introduced
12 February 2026
Last updated
2 October 2026

What this bill does

Currently at 2nd Reading in the Lords.

Gives 16-year-olds the vote and changes how UK elections are run.

This bill would lower the voting age to 16, change voter registration, and update rules for elections, campaigning, and political donations. It also strengthens Electoral Commission enforcement powers and adds new protections for candidates, voters, and election staff. The latest version removes the Electoral Commission’s strategy and policy statement framework and continues to make many detailed changes to election law.

  • Lower the voting age to 16 for parliamentary, local and some other elections and related voting/recall rights, with some limits for detained young people
  • Allow some people to be registered before they reach voting age, starting from age 14 in certain cases
  • Create new protections for information about people under 16 on electoral registers
  • Require local authorities and Health and Social Care trusts in Northern Ireland to raise awareness of registration and help eligible young people register
  • Introduce or expand registration without an application, and powers to pilot registration changes
  • Change rules on anonymous registration, local connection declarations, service declarations and edited registers
  • Change nomination, identification and voting procedures for candidates and voters
  • Change absent voting rules in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
  • Remove the requirement to publish election agents’ home addresses, while allowing a correspondence address to be used
  • Introduce new risk-assessment rules for certain political donations and loans, including for parties, candidates, referendums and recall campaigns
  • Raise requirements for information in electronic campaigning material and change some rules for third-party online material
  • Decriminalise some administrative election requirements and expand the Electoral Commission’s enforcement powers
  • Remove the strategy and policy statement framework for the Electoral Commission
  • Add hostility-related aggravating factors and disqualification-related changes for offences involving elections and candidates

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Progress

  1. 1st reading · Commons
  2. 2nd reading · Commons
  3. Programme motion · Commons
  4. Money resolution · Commons
  5. Carry-over motion · Commons
  6. Committee stage · Commons
  7. Bill reintroduced · Commons
  8. Programme motion · Commons
  9. Report stage · Commons
  10. 3rd reading · Commons
  11. 1st reading · Lords
  12. 2nd reading · Lords
  13. Committee stage · Lords