Government to lower voting age to 16 for all UK elections - with 'intimidatory' polling station practices ended in NI
Sixteen year olds across the UK will be granted the vote as part of reforms set out by the government to reform the electoral system – and has prompted calls for changes before the next Stormont elections.
The UK government retains control of voting in Stormont and local councils in Northern Ireland, and has set out detailed plans for how the changes will happen here – including removing the “intimidatory” practices which allow political parties to take records of who has voted.
Changes also include allowing National Insurance Cards to be used as voter ID.
The government will also work with the Department of Education here to “help ensure a coordinated approach to education and engagement” – with young people able to register from age 14 and to vote from age 16.
Voter verification checks will also be relaxed in the province, with the requirement for additional supporting evidence will be removed, despite being set out in law. Changes will also be made to ensure that eligible voters are not “removed from the register unnecessarily”.
There will also be legislation to ensure that Veterans Cards will be accepted for the first time in NI elections. They have previously only been accepted in Great Britain.
The practice of polling clerks shouting out voter names and addresses for political parties to keep a record of who has voted will also end – with the government calling it “outdated” and “intimidatory”.
The government also says that the demand for Electoral ID cards as identification for purposes other than elections is putting undue demand on the system, so the day of birth will be removed to “limit the demand for use as a more general proof of ID”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says it is important that 16 and 17 year olds get a chance to have their say on how money the pay in tax is spent.
The UUP says it supports votes at 16 in Stormont elections – but wants certain conditions to be met first.
The party’s young people's spokesperson Robbie Butler said, “The Ulster Unionist Party supports votes at 16, providing the right changes are implemented to the education curriculum to include political education on how the voting system in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom works. We would hope that the amendment to the curriculum, the reduction in voting age and the opportunity for those who have most to gain from good political engagement will encourage as many others to come out and vote as well.
“We believe in Northern Ireland, in its potential, in its people, and especially in the power of our young people. A truly prosperous future will be shaped by bringing together the fresh vision of a new generation with the hard-earned wisdom of those who’ve voted through decades of challenge and change. When we give young people a voice early, not only do we inspire hope, we grow a culture of lifelong engagement, where voting feels like a right that matters because it always has.
“If we’re truly serious about building a Northern Ireland that works for everyone, then it must start with a generation who shouldn’t have to fix what they didn’t break but who still carry the courage and clarity to lead us forward.”
Alliance says votes at 16 must be implemented in time for next NI Assembly election. Sian Mulholland has “asked for clarity” about whether changes will be in place for Stormont elections in 2027.
The North Antrim MLA said the "disenfranchisement of our society’s young people is a major democratic deficit” in Northern Ireland – saying “we cannot afford any further delay”.
SDLP leader Claire Hanna welcomed the move, saying it has long been her party’s position. She said “these voting rights must stretch beyond General Elections and be extended to voting for the Assembly and local councils. We will continue to make the case for that at Westminster and push for change to secure voting at all levels for 16 and 17-year-olds”.
The reforms come as part of plans by UK ministers to “modernise our democracy” – and fulfil a commitment in the Labour manifesto to lowering the voting age for parliamentary elections in line with Scotland and Wales.
Plans include a proposal for automated voter registration, and relaxing voter ID rules to allow people to present UK-issued bank cards an accepted form of ID at polling stations.
A debate about introducing similar voting age reforms in Northern Ireland is likely to intensify.
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.
“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.”
Rushanara Ali, the minister for democracy, said: “We are modernising our democracy so that it is fit for the 21st century.”
She added: “By reinforcing safeguards against foreign interference, we will strengthen our democratic institutions and protect them for future generations.”
There will also be a tightening of the rules on political donations. Government plans include a ban in Great Britain on “shell companies” funding political parties – and the requirement for more checks on donations to unincorporated associations.
Electoral authorities in Great Britain will have new powers to fine those breaking donations rules up to £500,000.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the IPPR think tank, told the PA news agency that the changes were “the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969”, when the voting age was 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.”
Arguing that lowering the voting age and introducing automated voter registration could bring 9.5 million more people into the democratic process, he said: “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.”