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Voters trusted themselves to vote at 16 – let’s expand the franchise

Do you think you should have been able to vote from 16? New research commissioned by The Body Shop and The British Youth Council has found that 64% of adults would have liked to have...

Posted 18 Aug 2023

64 per cent of adults would have liked to have had the vote at 16

Exploring the franchise: Who can vote in UK elections?

The franchise has been in the news recently due to Labour considering plans to extend the franchise to resident EU citizens and 16 and 17 year olds. The question of who gets to vote in...

Posted 25 May 2023

The question of who gets to vote is more complicated than you might think

Welcome to Your Vote Week – Raising young people’s political awareness

This week is Welcome to Your Vote Week, a campaign by the Electoral Commission to spark campaigners across the UK to speak to students in schools and raise young people’s political awareness. Amidst a global...

Posted 02 Feb 2023

We have the opportunity to encourage first-time voter participation

Electoral Commission report calls for better political education in Wales

The Electoral Commission report on May 2022’s local elections in Wales, published yesterday, highlights that the extension of the franchise is only the first step in ensuring the participation of new groups of voters in...

Posted 22 Sep 2022

Only 22 percent of parents think that the information their children currently get is sufficient

Early indications suggest Welsh voting pilots went well

In May’s local elections, four areas in Wales trialled a different way of voting – allowing people to cast their vote before election day. As well as polling stations being open on the Thursday 5...

Posted 05 Aug 2022

We need to be looking at removing other barriers to voting in Wales

Now it’s over to the Lords to prevent the government’s assault on democracy

Yesterday was a dark day for democracy. Despite widespread opposition from campaigners, election experts, academics and civil society the government’s Elections Bill successfully passed through the commons. The Bill includes clauses introducing voter ID, more...

Posted 18 Jan 2022

News and Comment

Voters trusted themselves to vote at 16 – let’s expand the franchise

Exploring the franchise: Who can vote in UK elections?

Welcome to Your Vote Week – Raising young people’s political awareness

Electoral Commission report calls for better political education in Wales

Early indications suggest Welsh voting pilots went well

Now it’s over to the Lords to prevent the government’s assault on democracy

First time votes for 16 and 17 year olds in Wales – what Westminster can learn

My 20 years of campaigning for votes at 16

Campaigners call for Government to back franchise extension across the UK

7 democratic developments to watch out for this year