Petition · past parliament
To lower the voting age to at least 16 years old.
Rejected
19 signatures
What the petition asks
16 and 17 year olds are still in education so they are constantly learning about the current world so they know more information about politics than older people over the age of 60. Young people have to live with the consequences of the votes so it is unfair not to grant them a say.
75% of young people voted in the Scottish Referendum of 2015 aged 16-17. There was a 75% turnout of 16-17 year olds in the Scottish Referendum compared to 54% at 18-24 year olds (The Guardian). In 2010, Vienna had 64.2% turnout of 16-17 year olds compared to 56.3% turnout for 18-20 year olds. If 16 year olds were to have the vote, 78% would remain in the EU and 10% would leave. Also, 10% would not know and 5% would not vote (Constitution Unit Website University Liniked).
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 27 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.