Petition · past parliament

16-18 year olds must be able to vote in any future referendum.

Rejected 19 signatures

What the petition asks

16 year olds can die for their country. They are not allowed to vote in the UK, even though the Scottish Referendum proved they can responsibly vote.
Given the call for a re-vote, and the importance to their future, in any future referendum on the EU, 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote.
Government responded to an earlier petition with this statement -

"As an issue of national significance, the Parliamentary franchise – which starts at 18 – is the appropriate starting point. The UK Government has no plans to change the voting age."

We contest the logic behind this decree. How should it be that a 16 year old is fit to join the army and fight and die overseas but not to have a stake in their country's future?

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

Timeline

25 Jun 2016 Petition opened for signatures
28 Jun 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 19
Status Rejected
Rejected 28 Jun 2016

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.