Votes at 16: what the Bill would change

A birthday card, a provisional driving licence, and possibly a ballot paper. That is the change now moving through Parliament.

The Representation of the People Bill is at Commons Report stage, and one of its headline changes is simple to state but large in effect: let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in UK elections.

What would actually change?

The government says the Bill would lower the voting age to 16 for all UK elections. Once registered, 16- and 17-year-olds would have the same voting rights as older voters.

It would also allow registration from age 14, so young people can be added to the register before their 16th birthday. The government says under-16 attainer data would be protected from public registers.

The scale is not tiny. The Commons Library says around 1.7 million 16- and 17-year-olds could become eligible to vote in UK parliamentary elections. The impact assessment assumes about 1.5 million would be included on registers.

There is a cost too: the Library cites an estimated £88 million over 10 years for extra registration and election administration, including an expected £40 million for Electoral Commission awareness work.

The country is not exactly singing in harmony

This is one of those Westminster questions where the party lines are fairly clear. Labour is delivering a manifesto commitment. The Conservatives and Reform UK oppose lowering the voting age, with Conservatives arguing it sits awkwardly with 18 as the general age of adulthood. The Liberal Democrats, Greens and SNP broadly support it.

Public opinion is more doubtful than supportive, at least among adults. A YouGov poll from July 2025, cited by the Commons Library, found 32% supported lowering the voting age to 16, while 57% opposed it and 11% said they did not know. Opposition was much higher among over-65s, at 78%.

But young people are not one neat cheering block either. An ITV News/Merlin Strategy poll of 500 16- and 17-year-olds found 51% thought the voting age should be lowered and 49% did not. Only 18% said they would definitely vote if there were an election tomorrow.

Is it a party advantage, or a civic gamble?

Critics call the change helpful to Labour. The evidence is messier. In the ITV poll of 16- and 17-year-olds, Labour led on voting intention at 33%, but Reform was second on 20%, followed by the Greens on 18%, the Liberal Democrats on 12% and the Conservatives on 10%.

The Commons Library also notes research suggesting there is little evidence that votes at 16 changes overall election results. The group is real, but relatively small.

The bigger practical question may be readiness. If Parliament gives 16-year-olds the vote, schools, councils, the Electoral Commission and campaigners will all have work to do. The government itself says civic and democratic education will be vital.

On BugBen so far, our panel is split exactly down the middle: 50% for and 50% against, from 8 votes. Tiny sample, big question.

Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote in UK elections? Have your say by voting on the question on BugBen.