The British government will grant the right to vote to young people aged 16 and 17 across the Channel, in accordance with a promise of the Labor Party campaign.
The British government announced Thursday, July 17, that it was going to lower the age of the right to vote from 18 to 16 years for all elections in the United Kingdom. “”Young people already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the army. It is normal that they can express themselves on the questions that concern them“Said number 2 of the government, Angela Rayner on X. This change, which must still be approved by Parliament, will allow”More people can engage in British democracy“, She added in a press release.
This new measure will allow young people aged 16 to vote at all elections, including the legislative elections planned in 2029. Presented as a measure of “Modernization of British democracyShe was part of the Labor Electoral Program Keir Starmer, who came to power in July 2024.
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“Help the greatest number of people to exercise their democratic law”
The reform should also make it possible to vote by identifying with a British credit card. Voters in the United Kingdom can already vote by presenting a passport, a driving license, a transport card for the elderly, and since last year a veteran card.
It’s necessary “help the greatest number of people to exercise their democratic law“Said the government’s press release. According to Ms. Rayner, “far too many people” were discouraged because of “rules»Too rigid. Participation in the British legislative elections last year was 59.7%, the lowest since 2001.
To date, only a few countries authorize 16 -year -olds to vote in the national elections. Among them, Austria, which was the first country in the European Union to have lowered the age of voting to 16 years in 2007.
