For the first time, 16-yr-olds will be able to vote in the upcoming UK general election, MPs have confirmed, as part of a broader set of reforms aimed at “modernising our democracy”, reports RTE.
Labour had pledged in its manifesto to reduce the voting age for Westminster elections to 16, bringing it into line with the rules in Scotland and Wales.
However, the proposals unveiled today go beyond that goal, aiming to boost voter participation across the board, reports RTE.
Among the changes, ministers have put forward plans to implement automatic voter registration, a system already in place in countries such as Australia and Canada, and to allow UK-issued bank cards as valid ID at polling stations.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said too many people were deterred from voting due to the voter ID rules introduced by the last administration. The Electoral Commission estimates that approximately 750,000 people didn’t vote because they lacked the required identification, reports RTE.
The government has already accepted the Veteran Card as a valid form of voter ID and plans to extend eligibility to digital IDs once they become available.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,” reports RTE.
“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our plan for change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give 16-year-olds the right to vote,” reports RTE.
Also included in the plans are tougher regulations on campaign finance, targeting the use of “shell companies” to make political donations and introducing stricter checks on contributions from unincorporated associations.
The Electoral Commission will be granted authority to impose fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of the revised donation rules.
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Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali said: “We are modernising our democracy so that it is fit for the 21st century,” reports RTE.
She added: “By reinforcing safeguards against foreign interference, we will strengthen our democratic institutions and protect them for future generations.”
The proposals come amid growing concern over the susceptibility of British politics to foreign financial influence, heightened recently by speculation that Elon Musk was considering a sizable contribution to Reform UK, reports RTE.
Transparency advocates have long flagged unincorporated associations as problematic, warning that they can be used to conceal the original sources of political funds.
The changes follow the Electoral Commission’s report that spending during last year’s general election reached an unprecedented £94.5 million, with political parties accounting for £69.3 million of that total, reports RTE.
Labour led campaign spending with £30 million—more than double its 2019 total—while the Conservatives spent £23.9 million and the Liberal Democrats £5.6 million.
Reform UK spent £5.5 million, the Green Party £1.7 million, and the SNP £799,000.
The government’s new package will be introduced through upcoming legislation and will also include harsher penalties for those found guilty of threatening or intimidating candidates, in response to a surge in reports of abuse targeting election hopefuls, reports RTE.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the IPPR think tank, called the plans “the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969”, when the voting age was last lowered to 18.
He said: “Barely half of people voted in last year’s general election. Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy. The government has clearly heard these alarm bells,” reports RTE.
Pointing to the potential to bring 9.5 million additional people into the political process through lowering the voting age and automated registration, he added: “At a time when public trust in politics is at a low ebb, this expansion of our democracy is a vital step toward rebuilding confidence, modernising our institutions and pushing back against the rise of populism,” reports RTE.
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