The House | Political education in classrooms can help young people prepare to vote at 16

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Soon to join the ranks of six historic Representation of the People Acts, which introduced landmark changes including votes for women and votes at eighteen, this Labour government’s Representation of the People Bill 2026 is set to take yet another leap towards a fairer, more representative, and more secure electoral system.

I stood proudly on the manifesto commitment to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, and now I am even more proud to see this set in motion. It is a common-sense change, keeping pace with our evolving world and its increasing social and digital interconnectedness. When, at the age of sixteen, young people can already pay taxes, join our Armed Forces, and learn about any political issue with just a few clicks, it is only right that they have a say in decisions that will be deeply consequential for their future.

My Luton South and South Bedfordshire constituency is a young one, filled with engaged and enthusiastic voices who deserve to be heard. Through my ongoing engagement with many young constituents on this issue and others, their desire to participate and highlight the issues that matter most to them is clear. We must grant this opportunity, also reaping the resulting benefits of increased participation and earlier political engagement across society.

Legislation is only one piece of the puzzle, though. Beyond this Bill, I look forward to seeing the government work with schools and youth organisations to promote genuine understanding of our elections, democracy, and the key issues facing our country.

At a recent roundtable discussion I held, young people from my constituency made it clear that practical help to encourage sustained youth participation would be a vital part of these reforms. They suggested more time dedicated to education about democracy in the classroom, a need for trusted and unbiased information about political parties, and training to resist rising misinformation online.

The young people I spoke to had insightful contributions on issues ranging from youth employment and the cost of living to climate change and reproductive health. We must continue to push for work beyond this Bill to deliver viable and lasting pathways to participation, ensuring they can be heard.

As well as encouraging broader voter turnout, a key pillar of this Bill is ensuring that our elections are truly open to a whole breadth of candidates. As only the 539th woman elected to the House of Commons, I take the work to ensure that more women and those from all backgrounds feel confident to put themselves forward to represent their communities incredibly seriously.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case in recent years due to rising abuse and intimidation. At the last general election, the Electoral Commission found that over half of candidates felt they had experienced harassment, intimidation, or abuse, with women twice as likely and ethnic minority respondents three times as likely to report serious cases. I have seen this in my constituency, where groups of men in cars shouted abuse at and intimidated young female Muslim councillors who were out campaigning. This is completely unacceptable and has the concerning effect of deterring many passionate, talented women from standing in elections.

I wholeheartedly welcome the tougher measures and protections proposed in this Bill, including giving courts the power to treat hostility towards electoral candidates, staff and campaigners as an aggravating factor and the introduction of police contact forms so candidates can be made aware of concerns for their safety. These measures will be a vital deterrent for those who seek to damage our democracy or intimidate those who uphold it, ensuring that a wide plurality of voices can participate, and everyone can see themselves represented.

As a member of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, I was particularly pleased to see that this Bill is set to repeal the power of the government to impose a strategy and policy statement on the Electoral Commission. I opposed this measure when introduced by the previous Conservative government due to the clear risk of undermining the Commission’s independence and allowing political interference.

Delivering these practical measures to bolster our democracy, alongside the landmark progressive step to enfranchise 16 and 17-year-olds, is exactly the kind of work I am proud our Labour government is carrying out. As elected representatives, it is our duty to safeguard and work to improve the system, ensuring it instils early the importance of participation, upholds the integrity of and trust in our elections, and keeps pace with our ever-changing world.

Rachel Hopkins is Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire