Question
Why is the voting age in the UK 18?
Answer
The voting age in the UK is set at 18 due to historical and political factors. In 1969, the UK became the first country to lower its voting age from 21 to 18. This change was not driven by public demand or significant political contestation but was rather a reflection of the evolving societal perception of adulthood, aligning the voting age with the age at which young people were increasingly seen as adults (Loughran, Mycock and Tonge, 2021).
The debate over lowering the voting age to 16 has been more contentious. While Scotland and Wales have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in their devolved elections, the voting age for Westminster elections remains 18. This is partly due to political partisanship, with younger Labour supporters generally in favor of lowering the voting age, while older Conservative supporters tend to oppose it (Tonge, Loughran and Mycock, 2021; Loughran, Mycock and Tonge, 2021). Public opinion has shown some shift towards supporting a lower voting age, but a majority still opposes it for UK-wide elections (Greenwood-Hau and Gutting, 2021).
The UK Government has expressed a commitment to lowering the voting age for reserved elections to 16, although this was not included in the first King’s Speech of the new Parliament. The government still plans to legislate on this issue before the next general election, indicating ongoing political interest in this reform (Tonge, Loughran and Mycock, 2021).
In summary, the voting age in the UK remains at 18 due to historical precedents and current political dynamics, despite ongoing debates and some regional variations in voting age policies.
References
Tonge, J., Loughran, T., & Mycock, A., 2021. Voting Age Reform, Political Partisanship and Multi-Level Governance in the UK: The Party Politics of ‘Votes-at-16’. Parliamentary Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1093/PA/GSAB020
Loughran, T., Mycock, A., & Tonge, J., 2021. A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds. Contemporary British History, 35, pp. 284 – 313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589
Loughran, T., Mycock, A., & Tonge, J., 2021. Public opinion, political partisanship and the Votes-at-16 debate in the United Kingdom. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 24, pp. 297 – 323. https://doi.org/10.1177/13691481211021216
Greenwood-Hau, J., & Gutting, R., 2021. Public Support for Votes at 16 in the UK: The Effects of Framing on Rights and Policy Change. Parliamentary Affairs. https://doi.org/10.1093/PA/GSAB018
