Petition · past parliament

Allow 16 year olds the vote in future elections and referenda.

Rejected 10 signatures

What the petition asks

As an informed 16 year old, I am excluded from the political process.
1.5m 16 & 17 year olds have no democratic right. That needs to change

We should be able to have our say too. We have to live with the consequences of decisions for longer than other age group and deserve to be heard.
Surveys suggest 16-17 year olds were even more pro remain than 18-20 year olds but did not get a vote in the EU referendum which was won by less votes than the 16-17 population would have.

The Electoral Reform Society said "The Scottish independence referendum showed once and for all that 16 & 17 year-olds are more than capable of taking important political decisions"

Whether it is local or national elections, we need to encourage young people to be involved rather than shut the door on them.

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
29 Jun 2016 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 10
Status Rejected
Rejected 29 Jun 2016

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