Topical Talk

Lowering the voting age

Democracy and lowering the voting age

Collage of pages from the “Lowering the voting age” teaching resource showing the cover and lesson plan

Published 02 February 2026

About this lesson

The British government has committed to lower the voting age to 16 before the next general election, adding almost 1.5 million new young voters to the electorate. Countries including Argentina and Brazil have allowed voting at 16 for decades.

What might younger voters mean for democracy?

Use this lesson to help students:

  • Explore what influences people’s voting decisions
  • Compare how political views may differ across age groups
  • Discuss the potential impact of lowering the voting age
Download the resource

This resource was created for the Topical Talk Festival 2026.

Skills and knowledge

  • Speaking

    Step 5: Knowing the audience
    I adapt my communication to what my audience already know
    Did you adapt your communication when discussing the questions with your partner?

    Step 8: Using facts
     I use facts and examples to support my communication
    Did you use facts and examples from the previous activity to support your discussion?

    Step 13: Negotiating
     I manage discussions effectively to reach an agreement
    Did you discuss ideas effectively with your group to reach an agreed vote?

  • Knowledge

    I know that different factors can influence how people vote and I can explain what some of these may be.
    What are some of these factors?

Available downloads

Create an account or log in to access resources for this

Create account Login

Related resources

View all resources