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The Representation of the People Bill would lower the voting age to 16 for UK Parliament elections and local elections in England and Northern Ireland, adding around 1.7 million voters, the Electoral Commission says. As of late September 2026 it had passed the Commons by 411 votes to 102 but was not yet law. Families and schools can prepare by listening first and helping young people register.
The Representation of the People Bill would lower the voting age to 16 for UK Parliament elections and local elections in England and Northern Ireland, giving around 1.7 million more people the vote, according to the Electoral Commission. As of late September 2026 it had passed the House of Commons by 411 votes to 102 and was waiting for its committee stage in the Lords, so it was not yet law. For parents, grandparents and teachers, the practical question is how to talk politics with 16 and 17 year olds without talking down to them.
The bill was introduced on 12 February 2026, carried over and reintroduced on 14 May, and passed its Commons third reading on 2 September, according to a House of Commons Library briefing on the bill's progress. The Lords gave it a first reading on 3 September and a second reading on 14 September. Parliament's record of the bill's stages showed the Lords committee stage as "Date to be announced" at the end of September 2026.
Source: House of Commons Library and Parliament's record of the bill's stages
The bill also adds bank cards to the list of approved voter ID, tightens the rules on political donations and creates a power to introduce more automated electoral registration. In Scotland and Wales, 16 and 17 year olds can already vote in Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections and in local elections.
In 2026, most 16 and 17 year olds were born in 2009 or 2010, which puts them at the younger end of Generation Z. The first of Generation Alpha, born in 2013, turn 16 in 2029.
In its briefing for the Lords second reading on 14 September 2026, the Electoral Commission said that "16- and 17-year-olds are the group least likely to be on the electoral register". It also warned that the timetable for automated registration "is unlikely to deliver benefits for voters before the next general election" unless the government takes a more ambitious and flexible approach.
Scotland gave 16 and 17 year olds a vote in the 2014 independence referendum. The Electoral Commission's report on the referendum found that 109,593 of them were on the registers by the deadline, and 75% of those it spoke to claimed to have voted. 97% of those who said they had voted said they would vote again.
Wales shows where the gaps are. At the first Senedd election open to 16 and 17 year olds, in May 2021, the Commission's report on the Welsh elections estimated that about 50% of those eligible registered (32,121 of around 70,000). First-time voters were far more likely than repeat voters to find the multiple voting systems confusing (55% against 22%), and Covid-19 made it harder for schools and colleges to deliver political literacy training.
Taken together, they suggest that interest is there when the question matters to young people, while registration and confidence need work. The Commission adds that research across several countries shows 16 and 17 year olds, once given the vote, "tend to vote in greater numbers than those enfranchised at 18".
Start from curiosity, because young people usually bring plenty of their own. In our 2024 survey of 4,067 people, 79% of Gen Z aged 16 and over agreed that they are always interested to find out what other people think, against 71% of Baby Boomers.
Ask before you tell. Find out which issues a 16 year old cares about and why, then explain how you reached your own view instead of announcing it. Disagree with the argument, never the person, and agree that nobody at the table gets mocked for a view.
Gen Z is too often written off as politically disengaged. Writing in July 2025, after interviewing Kenan Noori, then 15 and founder of the Nexus Party, Alastair argued that the answer is to stop generalising and start listening. In May 2025, after talking to Tom Penketh, who joined the podcast at 19, he wrote that Gen Z are waiting for leaders who will listen with intent.
Help with the practical step too. According to gov.uk, you can register to vote from 16 in England and Northern Ireland and from 14 in Scotland and Wales, and it usually takes about five minutes.
In England, the Department for Education's guidance on political impartiality in schools says schools "must prohibit the promotion of partisan political views" and should ensure "the balanced presentation of opposing views". It also says it "does not seek to limit the range of political issues and viewpoints schools can and do teach about".
The Electoral Commission wants the curriculum changed "to help prepare young people to cast their vote confidently", as the Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended. Whatever happens to the curriculum, schools can already explain how registration works, show students where to check a claim, and run debates in which students argue a side they disagree with. Inviting an older speaker and a younger one to discuss the same issue shows what disagreeing well across generations looks like.
Not yet, as of late September 2026. The Representation of the People Bill would lower the voting age to 16 for UK Parliament elections and local elections in England and Northern Ireland. It passed the Commons on 2 September 2026 and had its Lords second reading on 14 September, with no date yet for committee stage. In Scotland and Wales, 16 and 17 year olds already vote in devolved and local elections.
Around 1.7 million, according to the Electoral Commission's briefing of 14 September 2026. The Commission also said that 16 and 17 year olds were the group least likely to be on the electoral register, and that automated registration may not help before the next general election unless the government plans it more ambitiously.
According to gov.uk, you can register from age 16 in England and Northern Ireland and from 14 in Scotland and Wales. Registering early means a young person is ready to vote as soon as the law allows. It usually takes about five minutes online, and you are asked for a National Insurance number, though you can register without one.
Ask what they care about before sharing your own view, and explain how you reached it. Disagree with arguments rather than people, and keep mockery off the table. Our 2024 survey found 79% of Gen Z aged 16 and over are always interested to find out what other people think, so an open question is a good way in.
Hear Kenan Noori, Tom Penketh and other young guests talk about politics and communication on Alastair's podcast.
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