Young British teenagers to get the vote

In England, young people can vote at 18 years old. But this law is changing. Now, the government wants to let 16 and 17 year olds vote. It says it will be good for democracy.

The last big change was in 1969. Then, the age to vote fell to 18.

In Wales and Scotland, 16 year olds can vote. So, now England will be the same.

Florence Blake: "Yeah definitely, cos I feel like when I was 16, I had the like ability to know what was going on in the world. And I wanted to be able to vote when I was 16, so, yeah."

But the change isn't certain. In autumn, politicians will talk about this. And some political parties don't agree.

Nigel Farage is the leader of the Reform party. He's against the idea. But another big party, the Liberal Democrats, agree with it.

This young woman wanted to vote at 16. Young people have different opinions from other voters. So she thinks young people should vote.

Izzy Mudie: "A lot of young people are more like politically educated, now. And like, I had like political rage at that age, I guess. And like, I was like almost like annoyed that I couldn't vote and couldn't like express my opinion. And like, a lot of older people have different views now - than younger people - and it's like our future. It's not really their future anymore."

The Prime Minister thinks the change is important. Young people can already work. They pay taxes too. So, they should be able to give their opinions. But the government will need to change the law before 2029. Then, people will vote for a new government.

This young woman's happy. With this change, politicians will listen to young people.

Francesca Rossi: "I think it's like a good opportunity for like younger people to be able to vote. I feel like the younger generation, like, deserves to have their voices heard." View Less