Campaigners calling for full vote rights for 16-year-olds
AN influx of thousands of teenage voters could be unleashed to influence future elections in Leicestershire.
The British Youth Council, in partnership with the Body Shop, has launched a new campaign to press for young people to have full voting rights by 2024 from the age of 16.
They are working to develop a “Votes at 16” manifesto, calling for all political parties to incorporate full voting rights for 16 and 17-yearolds in all national elections and referenda.
The launch comes ahead of local elections tomorrow, on May 5 - at which 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland and Wales will be allowed to vote, but not those in other parts of the UK.
But had all 16 and 17-year-olds been allowed to vote at the last general election of December 2019, that would have added an additional 25,953 voters to the electorate in Leicestershire alone.
That would not be enough to overturn any of the results in 10 constituencies across Leicestershire at the 2019 election, but it could potentially mean teenagers have a huge say in the outcome of any future, closer election.
The size of the electorate in Bosworth in 2019 was 81,541. The Conservatives won that seat with a majority of 26,278 so the 2,172 16 and 17 year-olds in the constituency would not have changed that result.
It would also have swelled the electorate by 3.3 per cent, meaning politicians would have more reason to pay attention to issues likely to matter more to younger voters, such as climate change.
Across the UK there would have been enough 16 and 17-year-old voters to potentially change the outcome in 62 of 650 constituencies in 2019.
Jo Hobbs, chief executive of the British Youth Council, said: “It cannot be right that we have a postcode lottery when it comes to participating in such an important democratic right. “This is our opportunity to remind decision-makers that young people have been calling for voting parity for both local and general elections across the UK for 20 years.
“Politicians must give a new generation of change-makers the opportunities to participate so they can play an active role in resolving some of the biggest societal challenges we face.”
The campaign by the British Youth Council and the Body Shop - with the social media hashtag #BeSeenBeHeard - encourages young people to speak out about issues they care about.
Research shows young people are more active in civic society than ever before, with as many as 800,000 young carers in the UK and estimates putting 30 per cent of new enlisters in the armed forces at age 16 or 17.
Research also shows a demand for full suffrage among teenagers, with votes at 16 the top recurring issue in the British Youth Council’s annual “Make Your Mark” survey.
Yet young people are silenced when it comes to who makes decisions about their futures and remain under-represented in politics - just 3.2 per cent of UK MPs are aged 30 or less, compared to 36.3 per cent of the UK population.
Maddie Smith, managing director of The Body Shop, said: “We recognise the many issues facing young people and believe there is one simple step we can take to create real change: empower young people to have a voice in public affairs.”
Young people have been calling for voting parity for both local and general elections across the UK for 20 years Jo Hobbs