Government promises “seismic” changes in electoral reform programme

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said 16 and 17-year-olds already contributed to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military, and so should be given the right to vote on the issues that affect them.

Giving them the right to vote would bring UK-wide elections in line with Scotland and Wales. 

The plans are set out in a new strategy paper, Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections.

The Ministry said that other proposed measures would include harnessing more digital options to support voters and polling station staff, including allowing accepted IDs such as the Veteran Card and UK driving licence to be used at polling stations when they become available in digital format.  

A new digital Voter Authority Certificate will also be created to ensure Electoral Registration Officers can “meet the digital needs of voters, reduce printing costs and ensure faster delivery”.  

The Ministry claimed an increasingly automated voter registration system would also make it easier for people to register to vote and reduce the need to fill out their details across different government services on multiple occasions.      

There will meanwhile be new requirements on unincorporated associations that mandates checks on donations over £500 “to tackle foreign interference and protect UK democracy from those who attempt to undermine it”. 

The Electoral Commission will meanwhile e able to enforce heavier fines of up to £500,000 on those who breach political finance rules.

The reforms will also see tougher sentences for those who abuse election campaigners.

The Ministry said abusive behaviour is on the rise, particularly against women and ethnic minorities – with recent Electoral Commission research showing 55% of candidates at the 2024 General Election experienced abuse.

“The reforms will crack down on these unacceptable practices, delivering tougher sentences for those who intimidate campaigners and stronger protections for candidates in public life by removing the requirement for their home address to be published and openly available,” it added.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner said: “For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.       

“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give sixteen year olds the right to vote.   

“We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future.”       

Responding to the announcements, Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, said: “These reforms will improve the resilience and integrity of our electoral system, tackling many of the threats it faces and should improve the experience for voters, campaigners, parties and administrators.

“Registration reform would open the door for millions more to get involved in elections, and the proposed changes to the political finance rules would strengthen the checks on money coming into UK politics and ensure a more proportionate and effective enforcement regime. 

“We are ready to work with the electoral community to build understanding and compliance with any new requirements, and to support voters with information and education resources.” 

The Commission said it supports proposals for digital voter ID, but warned that using bank cards as voter ID has risks for security and voter trust. 

It also repeated its opposition to the principle of a Strategy and Policy Statement covering its activities. 

The Chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger, said: “We remain opposed to the principle of a strategy and policy statement, by which a government can guide our work. The independence and impartiality of an electoral commission must be clear for voters and campaigners to see, and this form of influence from a government is inconsistent with that role. This bill offers a timely opportunity to repeal the power for government to designate a statement.”

The Committee on Standards in Public Life welcomed the changes, with its chair, Doug Chalmers, suggesting they marked “a step forward towards a more transparent, proportionate and effective framework for regulating election finance”.

He added: “We are pleased the strategy picks up many important recommendations from our 2021 report, including tightening the requirement to identify the true source of donations, thereby reducing the potential for foreign money to influence UK elections.

“Candidates at the last General Election continued to face unacceptable levels of intimidation and abuse. The measures in the Strategy aimed at countering this risk to our democracy are welcome, and build on recommendations we made in our 2017 report.

“We will continue to maintain a close interest as the government develops its plans.”

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), said the Government’s strategy included “several momentous changes that will get lots of attention”.

However, he added that “behind these loudest changes, the government has also addressed one of the most important issues facing our democracy: the strain on the local electoral administrators who do the difficult and essential work of making sure elections happen”. 

Carr-West said: “Over several years, our research has demonstrated the complexity of running elections, the pressures on the workforce, and the increasing abuse and harassment staff have faced as we have gone through years of electoral challenges and reforms. The decision to tackle the tight timetables, and the extension of legal protections to electoral staff, are a clear recognition of the need for change.  

“Then, there are changes that could have a transformative effect on the running of elections. The introduction of automated registration will be complex, but presents an opportunity for the sector and the government to work together to reinvent a system that works better for voters and administrators.

“The government has emphasised that this is the beginning of a process designed to bolster our democracy. This strategy marks an important step in an ongoing, necessary, process to strengthen elections as an essential service, widen participation, and protect democracy during a period of significant challenge.”