Petition · past parliament
Lower the voting age to 16 years for UK parliamentary elections and referenda.
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
In the important 2014 referendum on Scottish independence 16 year olds voted. Brazil and Malta lowered their minimum voting age from 18 to 16 in 1988 and 2015 respectively. The UK Labour Party pledged to support votes for 16 year olds if they won the 2015 general election.
I believe it would have been more important for 16 and 17 year old citizens to vote in the 23rd June 2016 referendum than persons aged say 80 years or more. I can cite evidence if required that this has been a topic of much discussion in the UK over many years, although crucially, not recently.
Most pointedly note that the UK Labour Party commitment to votes for 16 year olds in 2015.
The Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey all lowered their voting age to 16 by 2007.
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
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
28 Jun 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.