Putting the bite into politics: for many under-18s, the closest they get to elections is if their schools are used as polling stations
“If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in the armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote,” Keir Starmer announced early in the General Election campaign Labour’s plan to lower the voting age to 16, catching the attention of young people all over the country.
Voting systems will never be more to the forefront of the public’s mind than tomorrow, General Election day. Some say that changing the voting age, as they have done already in Scotland and Wales, could significantly impact the outcome of future UK elections and referendums. Others say that due to the disinterest in politics that is common in young people, the decision would have minimal effect.
The last time that there was a significant change in UK-wide voting age was in 1969, when under Harold Wilson’s Labour government, the minimum age to vote was lowered from 21 to 18.
The first time that 16- and 17-year-old Scots were able to vote was in the Scottish independence referendum of 2014. Following this, the Electoral Commision released a report that suggested 75% of 16- and 17-year-olds actively used their votes compared to only 54% of 18-to-24-year-olds. The results from the 2021 Scottish parliamentary election suggested that those who were enfranchised at the age of 16 were more likely to continue voting in their 20s.
However, there is a concern that with a lowered voting age for the whole of the UK, many younger voters would lack the knowledge and understanding of the political system to make an informed decision on how to vote.
This was a key issue brought up by the selection of teenagers I spoke to.
Teagan, 17, a post-GCSE school leaver in employment and training, said, “It’s not talked about a lot in school. I’ve never learned any politics.” She said that she does not know “what each party stands for, or even where I would go to vote”.
Votes at 16: Labour’s proposal is a vote-winner, just with people too young to vote
She suggests that schools could, “Introduce political parties in assemblies or lessons and make sure that young people know what they stand for.”
Teagan does believe that with better education on politics, the voting age being lowered to 16 is a good idea. She urges older voters to consider “how they would feel being 16 in this day and age, with no say on the things going on around us” including the “terrible” cost of living crisis.
Jess, 17, a state school sixth form pupil, would have “loved to” be voting in the 2024 General Election as she feels she feels she is “fully aware” of how she could use her vote.
“It is our future that it affects,” she said. She wants “to have a say in what government we have”.
She said: “We are old enough to serve in the army and can pay taxes but don’t have any choice in how the money gets spent.”
Jess feels that she has been well educated about politics at school, however she is mindful that she takes A level politics and suggests that “people who don’t take politics as a subject probably haven’t had enough education on it”.
Isabelle, another 17-year-old midway through her A level course, believes that a lower voting age “could negatively impact the Conservatives”, as they “focus a lot less on young people” with their policies.
She would definitely have voted tomorrow had she been allowed to. “Young people should have a right to vote as they are likely to be affected,” by the outcome of the election.
However, Isabelle also feels that “a lot needs to change” in schools for young people to be more confident in their ability to vote. She shared that she has “never had any lessons on the voting system or politics in general”.
So while lowering the voting age might be a positive move to engage younger people in the democratic process, for this to work effectively, education on politics at a young age needs to improve.
- Elsie Gowers is an A-level pupil whose subjects include politics, undertaking work experience at Inside Croydon
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