It brings England in line with Wales
10:39, 17 Jul 2025Updated 10:52, 17 Jul 2025
Teenagers voted at Ebbw Vale Learning Zone by Coleg Gwent(Image: John Myers)
Sixteen-year-olds will be given the right to vote in all UK elections as part of new UK Government plans. It brings the UK in line with Wales where 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in Senedd and council elections in Wales.
As part of the plans people will be able to use UK-issued bank cards as an accepted form of ID at the polling station. This is alongside harnessing more digital options to support voters and polling station staff including allowing accepted IDs such as the veteran card and UK driving licence to be used at polling stations when they become available in digital format.
Alongside expanding the right to vote the UK Government says it will introduce “common-sense changes” towards an automated electoral registration system, removing what the government calls barriers for voters. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.
It says it will follow countries such as Australia and Canada with automated systems for registrations.
They also say too many people are being deterred from voting because of voter ID rules with the Electoral Commission finding that 4% of non-voters at the 2024 general election saying that a lack of voter ID was a key reason they didn’t vote, equating to around three-quarters of a million people across Great Britain.
So people will be able to use bank cards as ID when voting. The rules were recently changed to allow veteran ID cards to be an acceptable form of ID.
The UK Government say 96% of the UK population has a bank account with the majority expected to also have a bank card.
There will also be a new digital Voter Authority Certificate to save money and time for poll organisers.
They UK Government say an increasingly automated voter registration system will also make it easier for people to register to vote and reduce the need to fill out their details across different government services on multiple occasions.
The consultation announced on Thursday also says it will close loopholes which allow foreign donors to influence UK political parties via shell companies.
New requirements will be introduced on donations of more than £500 “to tackle foreign interference and protect UK democracy from those who attempt to undermine it”.
There will also be higher fines, enforceable by the Electoral Commission, for those who breach political finance rules.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.
“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give sixteen-year-olds the right to vote.
“We cannot take our democracy for granted and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future.”
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