Voting Rights: Young People
The question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the potential impact of lowering the voting age on the administration of elections.
Answered by Sir Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission is engaging with the Government as it brings forward proposals to implement the manifesto commitment to give 16 and 17 year-olds the right to vote. The Commission is providing paractical advice on how any changes to the franchise can be implemented, as it has done for similar changes in Scotland and Wales.
Once the change is made, the Commission will update its guidance for administrators to assist them to understand and deliver the new registration eligibility. Electoral Registration Officers would then work locally to support the registration and participation of this new group of voters.
The Commission has said that changes to the franchise need to be implemented in a way that carefully manages the pressures on election teams, and that any changes to electoral legislation should be clear at least six months before they are due to be implemented or complied with by voters and electoral administrators.
The Commission will also undertake public awareness work to ensure all newly enfranchised voters know how to register, and have the information and confidence to take part. It is already working to ensure that young people hace access to impartial education about democracy and elections, and is partnering with a range of organisations to support under-registered groups.
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