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As seen in Make Votes Matter.
In 2029, 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote in a UK general election for the first time. The landmark decision, announced by the Labour government on the 17th of July 2025, marks the first change to the voting age in over half a century. For many young people, it’s a long-overdue recognition – a signal that their voices matter in shaping the future of UK politics.
But while lowering the voting age is essential, it is not enough on its own. Inclusion isn’t just about who gets to vote – it’s about whether those votes count. And for many young people backing smaller parties, the current First-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system may deny them meaningful representation. Without reforming how votes are counted, we risk sidelining the voices of an entire generation to the fringes of politics.
Young voters aren’t apathetic. They’re informed, passionate and increasingly drawn to parties that reflect their values – whether this be climate action, social justice or electoral reform. As YouGov’s analysis of over 35,000 voters in the 2024 General Election showed, younger voters were significantly more likely than older voters to back smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats, the Greens or other progressive alternatives. But despite these parties often speaking to their concerns, under FPTP their support often fails to translate into seats.
The FPTP electoral system rewards concentrated support in certain constituencies, allowing larger parties to dominate through safe seats, while smaller parties – whose support is often scattered across multiple constituencies – struggle to convert national momentum into parliamentary power. In the 2024 election, for instance, the Green Party won 6.7% of the national vote but secured just four seats in Parliament – amounting to a mere 0.6% of the seats. Meanwhile, Reform UK secured 14.3% of the national vote share – yet won only 5 out of 650 seats. When nearly every vote for the Greens and Reform fail to translate into seats, it is clear that democracy is being distorted. Overall, 96.9% of Green votes and 98.5% of Reform votes – that is an outstanding 5.7 million votes – were wasted, cast in constituencies where the vote failed to influence the outcome.
Imagine being 16. You’ve waited years to have a say. You’ve read the news. You’ve researched policies and even attended political debates. And now you can’t wait to cast your first vote. Then you discover your chosen party – backed by millions of others up and down the country – won barely a handful of seats, and that all the votes for your chosen party had absolutely no impact on the result.
This is a significant democratic failure. When young people see their votes ignored, they lose trust in the system. While some may feel forced to vote tactically for a larger, dominant party that doesn’t quite fit their values – others may choose to stop voting altogether. Over time, this erodes political engagement and reinforces the dominance of two parties that many young voters feel do not represent them.
This isn’t just a one-off disappointment. It’s the beginning of a new pattern. And the situation is only going to get much worse. As smaller parties gain momentum, the FPTP electoral system will increasingly resemble a democratic lottery – where millions vote, but only a handful win. Young people risk seeing their votes wasted again and again.
Under a more proportionally representative system, the political landscape could look very different. Smaller parties would likely gain more seats in Parliament, leading to a richer diversity of voices in Parliament. As a result, those who vote for smaller political parties would feel that their votes have more impact and that they are not wasting 30 minutes of their Thursday when they walk to the ballot box in the pouring rain.
There is already a strong belief among young people that a more proportionally representative electoral system would give them greater confidence in voting for smaller parties. As one Exeter University student put it: “I would much prefer proportional representation”, adding that under such a system, he’d be “a lot more likely to vote for a smaller party”.
That’s why electoral reform is so important. Whether inspired by the Green Party, Liberal Democrats, Reform or the brand new Corbyn-Sultana Your Party, young voters deserve a system that listens.
I, therefore, believe that it is not just politicians, but members of the public, who must actively support a fairer and more inclusive electoral system – one that gives younger people a real seat at the table, rather than sidelining their views to the fringes of politics.
Edited by Elizabeth Pinkney
Image: CC-by-sa-2.0
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