Petition · past parliament
Lower the voting age to 16
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently in the UK 16 year olds are not allowed to vote in general elections ands most referendums. By allowing 16 year olds to vote democracy is enhanced within the UK also increasing legitimacy. If 16 year olds are old enough to pay tax why are they not old enough to choose how they are governed?
In the referendum For Scottish Independance in 2014, 109,000 16-17 year olds voted (74%), surely this indicates the eagerness of this age category to be involved in politics and be able to make decisions that affect them.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 28 Feb 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Feb 2016 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 Feb 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.