The UK’s left-wing Labour government has announced that it plans to lower the voting age in time for the next general election.
Under international and UK law, a child is any person below the age of 18, but by the next General Election 16 and 17-years-old will be legally allowed to vote and won’t even need photo-ID to do it.
Apparently the sweeping electoral reforms will “modernize democracy.”
According to ministers say the move is designed to rebuild public trust, but critics have accused the government of trying to tilt the electoral playing field in its favor, with recent polling suggesting Labour would benefit from a third of the votes.
InfoWars reports: The voting age reform is part of a broader Elections Bill that will also ease voter ID rules by allowing bank cards as accepted identification and introduce tougher regulations on foreign donations, campaigner abuse, and digital voter registration.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the plan would “break down barriers to participation” and deliver on Labour’s manifesto promise to extend the vote to young people who already “work, pay taxes, and serve in the military.” Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali called it a “generational step forward.”
But Nigel Farage, leader of Reform U.K., responded: “I’m not in favor of it, but I’m really encouraged by the number of young people that are coming towards us. It’s an attempt to rig the political system, but we intend to give them a nasty surprise.”
Polling by Merlin Strategy suggests the issue is divisive even among teenagers. Of 500 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed, 49 percent said they did not believe they should be allowed to vote, while 51 percent supported the move. When asked how they would vote, 33 percent backed Labour, but Reform U.K. came in second with 20 percent. Only 10 percent of respondents said they would vote Conservative.
Shadow Communities Secretary Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail the move risks undermining democracy: “Even 16- and 17-year-olds don’t think they’re ready to vote. With only 18 percent saying they’d definitely take part in an election, it’s clear this is more about politics than principle.”
Former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, was blunter: “In a desperate attempt to find anybody to vote Labour, Angela Rayner has announced 16-year-olds can vote. At 16, they know nothing of life and finance and therefore make great socialist fodder.”