Our Response to the Government’s Plans for Democratic Reforms

On 17 July, the Labour Government released their plans for democratic reforms. The plans detail a range of incoming reforms to “future-proof” our democracy, most notably Votes at 16, which will allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections.

This is an exciting development and we are thrilled that the Government is finding ways of improving our electoral systems and democratic access. But Votes at 16 must be considered as part of a wider package to extend the franchise. If the new Elections Bill fails to include the extension of the franchise to all residents, we will still see residents from countries all across the world, whether they are 16 or 60, with the right to vote..

The Government recognises the need to “strengthen and simplify our democracy,” but all the new technologies and automated voter registration systems in the world cannot compensate for unnecessarily complex and unjust voter laws that privilege some residents over others.

In this country, your right to vote changes based on what country you are born in, where you live in the UK, your immigration status, and when you immigrated. These conditions, for what should be a fundamental part of political participation, are far removed from people’s lived realities. They are not based on how long a resident has been living in the UK or their contributions to their communities; they are arbitrary, based on factors like obscure bilateral voting agreements and a country’s EU or Commonwealth status.

In 2020, Scotland and Wales extended their franchise to 16 year olds and foreign residents at once. It is the only way fair and accessible electoral reforms can work. In the 2022 Elections Bill, now Act, former Shadow Democracy Minister Alex Norris, now in the Labour Government, tabled an amendment to the Bill, requesting the previous Conservative Government extend the franchise to all settled residents in Parliamentary elections. Labour itself recognises the need to jointly extend the franchise not only to 16-year-olds, but also to the over 4 million residents without the right to vote. This is their opportunity to make it happen.