Britain is planning one of its most significant voting reforms in decades, announcing plans to lower the voting age to 16 from 18 ahead of the next general election.

The left-wing Labour Party pledged to lower the voting age before it was elected in July 2024. The plan is subject to the approval of parliament, where the Labour Party has a majority. 

Prime Minister Starmer told ITV News he believes it is “really important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the vote” because they are “old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes.”

“I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go,” Mr. Starmer said. “So I’m really pleased we are able to bring more young people into our democracy and give them a chance to have a say over how their taxes are paid and what they are going to be used for.”

Supporters of the plan pointed to the turnout in the 2024 general election, which at 59.7 percent was the lowest in a general election since 2001. 

In a statement, the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, said, “We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy.”

Along with lowering the voting age, the government is also planning to expand the list of eligible documents for voter ID to include bank cards and digital forms of identification, such as a driver’s license. 

The decision to lower the voting age comes as the Labour Party has seen its popularity plummet since the July 2024 election. A poll by the Economist found that at the time of the election, Labour had 39 percent support, and since then it has fallen to 23 percent. 

The right-wing Reform UK party has seen its support rise to 29 percent from 17 percent a year ago. The Economist notes that if the election were held today, Reform UK would have a one-in-five chance of winning. 

“If Reform banded together with the listless Conservatives, they would have a four-in-five chance of a majority. By contrast, the center-left parties together have just a one-in-30 chance of winning,” the Economist said. 

The decision to lower the voting age could shore up the Labour Party’s support ahead of the next election, as a large chunk of its support comes from young voters. It captured 50 percent of voters under 35 in the 2024 election. The party still has a significant base of young voters, according to polling averages, at roughly 30 percent. However, polls show that Reform UK has gained ground with younger voters.

The leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, posted on X that the plan to lower the voting age is an “attempt to rig the political system.”

Mr. Farage also criticized the idea of letting people use bank cards as a form of voter ID, as he noted they do not have the account owner’s picture on them. He called the proposal “wide open to fraud on a most extraordinary level.”

Despite calling the plan an attempt to rig the system, the Reform UK leader suggested it could backfire on Labour, as he highlighted an ITV News poll that found his party is in second place at 20 percent among 16- and 17-year-olds.

“We are going to give this Labour government the shock of their lives. We’re going to get 16- to 17-year-olds to vote for us,” Mr. Farage said.

The last time the voting age was changed in Britain was in 1969, when it was lowered to 18. 

In Scotland and Wales, 16- and 17-year-olds can vote in local elections. There are 11 other countries that allow 16-year-olds to vote, including Austria, Brazil, and Ecuador.