4. The Politics of Votes at 16

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we discuss the politics of votes at 16, focusing in particular on: (i) the divisive and polarised contemporary politics of age, and the impact of the culture wars; (ii) how different UK governments have viewed the issue, e.g. Conservative lack of interest in reforming the voting age for parliamentary elections to the House of Commons; (iii) the impact of devolving voting age reform; (iv) party opposition to voting age reform; (v) public opinion on votes at 16 and reasons for and against.

Course

In this course, Dr Andrew Mycock (University of Huddersfield) explores the debate around lowering the voting age to 16 in the UK. In the first module, we discuss the history of voting age reform in the UK, beginning with the 1832 Reform Act and concluding with the lowering of the voting age to 18 in the 1960s. In the second module, we cover the voting age debate in the UK from the 1980s to the present day. In the third module, we discuss the voting age debate in Scotland and Wales and the implication of the asymmetrical implementation of franchise rights in these UK regions (where young people aged 16-18 are able to vote in national and local elections, but not general elections). In the fourth module, we consider the politics of votes at 16, focusing in particular on its implications for devolution and the complicating factor of the so-called “culture wars”. Then, in the fifth and final module, we conclude with a discussion of the future of voting age reform.

Lecturer

Dr. Andrew Mycock is a Reader in Politics at the University of Huddersfield. He is co-founder of the Academy for British and Irish Studies based at the University of Huddersfield. I am also co-convenor of the Politics Studies Association Britishness Specialist Group. His research interests include post-empire citizenship, multiculturalism, and identity in the UK including devolution and nationalism across the UK, as well as youth citizenship and democratic participation.