The British government announced on the 17th (local time) that it will lower the voting age from 18 to 16.
As trust in democracy declines and voter turnout falls to historically low levels, the plan aims to lower the voting age to rekindle interest among young people.
Even the 'mother of democracy,' England, which laid the foundation for parliamentary democracy through the Magna Carta in 1215, is significantly lowering the political participation threshold, drawing attention to whether 16-year-old voting rights will become a global trend.
On the same day, the British government stated that, according to last year's general election pledges, it will push forward legislation granting voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds in the next general election, marking a significant change 55 years after lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
Currently, there are approximately 1.5 million people aged 16 to 17 in the UK. The British government hopes that lowering the voting age will instill a sense of responsibility in them and a sense of ownership about the political process.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted in an interview the long-standing democratic principle of 'No Taxation without Representation.'
He said, 'At 16 and 17, individuals can leave school, work, pay taxes, and even enlist in the military. If they are paying taxes, they should have the opportunity to express how they want that money to be spent and what direction the government should take.'
The decline in political participation is a common concern among advanced Western countries. In the UK, the speed of growing political apathy is particularly rapid.
According to data from the UK House of Commons Library, the voter turnout in last July's general election was only 59.7%. This was the lowest level in 23 years since 2001, dropping 7.6 percentage points compared to the previous election in 2019, which had a turnout of 67.3%.
Experts stated that the government introduced the card of 16-year-old voting rights as the young generation's detachment from politics reached a critical level to draw them back into political engagement.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, a researcher at the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), evaluated that 'British democracy is now in crisis' and that the government must have recognized that we have reached a dangerously precarious moment where it risks losing political legitimacy.
Voting rights at 16 are not an exceptional or unfamiliar system. Countries such as Austria, Brazil, Malta, Ecuador, and Nicaragua already allow 16-year-olds to vote in nationwide major elections. Germany and Belgium guarantee participation of 16-year-old voters in European Parliament elections.
In the UK, Scotland and Wales introduced voting rights for 16-year-olds ahead of time in the 2014 independence referendum and the 2021 parliamentary elections, respectively.
The results of the experiment were positive. A joint study by the University of Sheffield and the University of Edinburgh found that in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 16- to 17-year-olds had a higher voter turnout than the 18- to 24-year-old age group.
In particular, it was found that those who participated in voting for the first time at 16 are more likely to continue voting in future elections. This hypothesis proved that early political participation has a positive impact on forming a 'voting habit.'
The British Labor Party currently holds 412 seats, which is well over half of the seats in the House of Commons. This legislation is also expected to pass smoothly through Parliament.
If implemented, it is expected that 16-year-olds across the UK will be able to exercise their voting rights starting from the 2029 general election.
However, experts warned that lowering the voting age is not a panacea that will revive democracy.
David Runciman, a political scientist at the University of Cambridge, emphasized that 'beyond simply granting voting rights, civic education that fosters the ability to discuss political issues and think critically must be conducted from the school curriculum.'
Opponents, primarily from the Conservative Party, raised concerns about the timing of this move. They argued that '16-year-olds are still too immature to understand political issues deeply and make independent judgments.'
In the UK, 16-year-olds cannot buy alcohol, tobacco, or lottery tickets. The legal minimum age to run for election or marry without parental consent is also 18.
These individuals expressed concern that 'lowering the voting age to 16 in a situation where different legal standards coexist for ordinary issues could lead to social confusion.'
Some critics pointed out that this measure is an unilaterally favorable policy for progressive leftist political forces that have strong support among younger demographics.
If the voting age is lowered to 16, approximately 1.5 million new voters will emerge. Historical trends suggest that most of these individuals will likely support centrist or progressive parties like the Labor Party or the Green Party.