How old is old enough? The minimum age of voting and candidacy in UK elections Consultation paper July 2003 The Electoral Commission We are an independent body that was set up by the UK Parliament. We aim to gain public confidence and encourage people to take part in the democratic process within the UK by modernising of the electoral process, promoting public awareness of electoral matters, and regulating political parties. Copyright © The Electoral Commission 2003 2 How to respond Please send your response to this consultation paper by Friday 31 October 2003 to: Anthony Bellringer Policy and Liaison Manager The Electoral Commission Trevelyan House 30 Great Peter Street London SW1P 2HW Tel: 020 7271 0592 Fax: 020 7271 0505 Email:
[email protected] www.electoralcommission.org.uk The Electoral Commission may wish to publish or make available for inspection responses to this consultation paper. Please ensure that your response is marked clearly if you wish your response or your name to remain confidential. 3 4 Contents Executive summary 6 1 Introduction 9 2 The current legal position 12 3 International context 15 4 Young people and democratic engagement 17 5 Time for change? 25 6 Options for change 33 Appendix 1 Minimum voting and candidacy age for local elections in European countries 35 5 Executive summary The Commission believes that the time is right to review the current minimum age at which people can take part in elections. The Commission has therefore published a consultation paper and seeks views on the issues outlined here by Friday 31 October 2003.