About the lecture

In this module, we discuss the history of voting age reform in the UK, focusing in particular on: (i) the Reform Acts of the early nineteenth century, particularly the 1832 Reform Act; (ii) the expansion of the electorate during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in which the voting age was clearly established at the age of 21; (iii) the importance of the suffragettes and the votes for women movement; (iv) the 1918 Representation of the People Act; (v) changes during the Second World War; (vi) debates over the voting age in the 1960s, including the case for lowering the age of both majority and enfranchisement to 18; (vii) public opinion during these debates; (viii) the 1970 general election.

About the 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.