Yorkshire teenagers have their say on Government plans

The Government has announced plans to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote across the UK by the next general election.

The move is among changes to the voting system announced last week, which – subject to approval in Parliament – will form the biggest electoral shake-up since 1969.

Labour says the proposal is “only fair”, while the Liberal Democrats describe it as a “no-brainer”.

However, the Conservatives say the plan is “hopelessly confused”.

But what do teenagers make of it?

Noah, 16, is the treasurer of Skipton’s Youth Council.

He says he is “really excited” for people who will be able to vote in the next general election as a result of the proposed change.

“A 16-year-old can pay taxes, join the armed forces, get married with consent, and that is a lot of responsibility,” he says.

“I am starting an apprenticeship in September. I will pay my national insurance, I will pay my tax.

“I want to get involved with how the country is going to evolve in the future.”

He says being over the age of 18 does not necessarily mean you know more about politics.

“You could say that anybody is not mature enough to vote,” he adds.

“There are many adults out there who are not as well-educated as others.”

Rosie, 18, is part of a youth group in Leeds and says she would have voted in 2024 if the rules had changed sooner.

She says she would have done extra research to learn about the political parties.

“Lots of people are worried about people that are uneducated voting but I think there won’t be much of a problem with that,” she says.

Albert, 17, agrees, adding: “I think it’s really important for younger people to have their voice heard, in a way that isn’t just protesting.”

“The people who would vote would be conscious of the decision they’re making and how it impacts people.”

Anna Calvert, who lives near Skipton in North Yorkshire, missed out on voting at the 2024 general election by less than three months.

“I was a bit gutted that I wouldn’t have a say on who would be looking after my constituency for the next five years,” she says.

Anna, now 18, is a member of the UK Youth Parliament, which has campaigned for the voting age to be lowered since its creation, 25 years ago.

“The group chats were all going mental when the plans was announced,” she said.

“We were just all so surprised.”

She is hoping that politicians will focus more on issues that matter to young people during the next election campaign, as she says the generation currently feels “ignored”.

Anna believes that engaging young people in politics will also help to tackle low voter turnout.

“If you start getting people interested in politics young, you’ll have voters for life.”

Will, 15, York’s member of the UK Youth Parliament, believes 16-year-olds are “mature enough, but possibly not informed enough” to vote.

However, he says that is not the fault of young people and he hopes education about politics will improve as a result of changes to the voting age.

“At the moment, people turn 18 and learn about politics online, which can be good but also can be difficult, because you can’t help the spread of misinformation,” he says.

“Or they’re voting with their parents and that can lead to tribalism, and that’s just not a true democracy.”

Young people need to be taught how to identify misinformation online in time for the next general election, he adds.

Lucas, 16, is says he is pleased with the proposed change as “a lot of the new terms and policies affect me as a young person”.

However, he says he feels many people his age would not be able to make an “informed vote”, because of a lack of teaching about the “current state of the UK” in schools.

Meanwhile, Charlie, 15, says he reads the news and added: “I look at some of the parties now and then but I wouldn’t look too greatly into them.”

Evie, 14, says a lot of young people she knows are “particularly interested” in the possibility that they will soon be able to cast their ballot.

“I think it’s a great idea and I’m really looking forward to my first vote,” she says.