Election ballot box

Labour has announced that they will be lowering the voting age to 16 by the next general election. This is an amazing step forward for British democracy, and for youth rights in the UK, but we need to do a lot more to maximise the benefits of votes at 16. I’m Haydn Osborne-Brookes, a 16 year old Green Party member, and for the past year I have been the Under 18’s Liberation Group Co-Chair for the Young Greens. I’m hoping to show you that votes at 16 alone isn’t enough to save British democracy.

Throughout my time campaigning for votes at 16, I’ve always been adamant that one of the largest potential benefits of lowering the voting age is higher voter turnout. We’re facing a turnout crisis. The estimated turnout for the 2024 general election was 60%, a dramatic shift from the 72.2% turnout we saw in the Brexit Referendum and even higher turnouts before the 2000s. Votes at 16 can be a solution for this, as research has shown that the closer somebody is to their 18th birthday when first voting, the more likely they are to maintain a voting habit throughout their life.

Improving citizenship education and making it mandatory up to the age of 18 is one of the ways we can help materialise higher voter turnout whilst also helping young people make an informed decision when they get in the polling booth. Each classroom must become a mini parliament, where students are allowed to debate policy and share their own views, whilst also actively learning about what the major parties’ positions are and how each decision will affect them. By presenting young people with accurate, unbiased information we can rest assured that they are more likely to make an informed decision rather than relying on “vibes based politics”.

The momentum of debating ideas in the classroom, then being able to actually vote on the party you believe represents yours most will encourage young voters to turnout in higher numbers. But don’t just believe me – when Austria lowered the voting age to 16, they had an 88% turnout amongst new voters. 

Alongside citizenship education, schools also need mandatory mock elections. In Germany, there is an educational program known as the “Juniorwahl” (simply, the Junior Election) which allows young people in schools to organise their own mock elections and then vote in them. The results are then collated and published. We need a similar system in the UK. Mandatory mock elections allow students to actually have the experience of voting, and excites them for when they will actually be able to, encouraging them even more to vote when they gain the right to.

A final change which is absolutely necessary is Automatic Voter Registration. Labour has announced they will be moving towards an “increasingly” automated system, but this isn’t enough. We need fully automated voter registration to remove barriers to voting. The need to register dissuades voters of all ages, and automating the system will likely increase voter turnout as well due to the increased simplicity in voting.

Votes at 16 has the potential to solve our voter turnout crisis as long as we improve citizenship education and make it mandatory up to the age of 18, hold mandatory mock elections in schools, and make voter registration fully automated.

Next Sunday I will be launching a campaign focused on these issues alongside Natalie Bennett, former Leader and current member of the House of Lords for the Greens. Carla Denyer MP will also be involved in the campaign. Keep an eye out for more updates.

Image credit: Element5 Digital – Creative Commons