What do 16 and 17-year-olds need to be able to vote in UK General Elections?

The Government plans to lower the voting age to 16 before the next General Election. But changing the law is only the beginning.

If 1.8 million young people are voting for the first time, how will they learn about politics? Where can they find trustworthy information? How do they avoid misinformation online? And what can schools, families and politicians do to help?

In this episode of Kids Law, Alma-Constance and Lucinda are joined by Harriet Andrews, Founder and Director of The Politics Project, an organisation that works with thousands of schools and youth organisations across the UK to help young people understand democracy and politics. Together they explore why young people already care deeply about issues that affect their lives, why confidence and good information matter just as much as the right to vote, and why political parties may need to rethink how they communicate with a new generation of voters.

You'll hear about:

• Why lowering the voting age is only the first step
• How young people can prepare for their first vote
• The role of schools, youth groups and political parties
• How elections are organised in the UK
• Why misinformation and AI make finding reliable information harder
• Lessons from Scotland and Wales, where 16 and 17-year-olds already vote
• What politicians need to do differently to engage young people
• Harriet's advice for anyone who hopes to vote for the first time

As always, Alma also asks Hattie our favourite Kids Law question:

What were you like when you were 10 years old?

Hattie says she loved trading gel pens and wanted to be an architect!

We'd love to hear from you!

If the voting age is lowered to 16, would you be excited to vote?

Further Reading

Harriet Andrews

The Politics Project

Electoral Commission

Democracy Classroom

Easy Peasy Politics BBC Bitesize

Childline – 0800 1111

Kids Law

If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info  or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo 

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See you soon in the next episode!