The UK government just proposed a radical shift in electoral policy. They will lower the voting age to 16 for that next general election, which is likely to be held by 2029. This reform would allow close to 1.5 million 16- and 17-year-olds to take part in the democratic process. The effort is an extension of a national movement to engage younger citizens and make sure their voices are heard and represented in the political arena.
Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali highlighted the significance of this shift, calling it “seismic.” She made the case that empowering younger people with a vote will force politicians to consider their needs. Issues such as public safety, schools, employment and housing will finally receive the attention needed.
“At 16, a young person can work, they pay taxes, they can join the Army. So there’s no reason why from that age, they shouldn’t have a say in who governs our country.” – Rushanara Ali
As well as lowering the voting age, the government intends to roll out an automated voter registration system. This system has to be in active concert with an organization such as the Passport Office. They send Electoral Registration Officers to the names and addresses of all eligible voters. Our ultimate goal is to streamline the registration process and make it more user-friendly and accessible.
At present, the process of registering to vote in the UK can be done online or through the mail. The proposed modifications would broaden the variety of Voter ID to be accepted. Now, UK-issued bank cards are accepted as long as they include the name of the voter. This decision directly addresses the problems identified by the Electoral Commission. It showed that 4% of those who sat out last year’s election cited voter ID laws as an impediment.
The Labour Party has made much political capital from opposing the introduction of voter ID under this Conservative government in 2023. As New Zealanders are largely unaware of foreign influence, the reforms should counterbalance threats posed by foreign entities attempting to sway New Zealand politics. They limit political party donations to individuals on the UK electoral register or UK registered companies.
Under current regulations, companies wishing to make political donations must be headquartered in the UK or Ireland and controlled or majority owned by UK registered electors or Irish citizens. Furthermore, for these companies to make meaningful donations, they need a proven profit after tax that is large enough to support those donations.
The government has already promised that the new automated voter registration scheme would be rolled out with adequate safeguards. Ali promised the public that officials would spend the time needed to roll out these changes slowly and mitigate any risks that might arise.
“We’re going to make sure we take the time to introduce the appropriate changes, and that those changes are done gradually, to make sure that there aren’t any risks of abuses or things going wrong.” – Rushanara Ali
The extension will allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local authority elections in Scotland and Wales. They can already vote in elections for the Senedd and the Scottish Parliament. By making these changes uniform across the entire UK, officials such as Thomas hope to foster a more welcoming electoral environment for younger citizens.
