There has been a lack of precision from political parties either supporting or opposing voting age reform in the UK beyond speculative assertions on its potential impact on youth political engagement. A number of reports have raised concerns that voting age reform could problematize how the political, economic and social rights and responsibilities of youth and adult citizenship are correlated and realized. This paper explores the conceptual and empirical manifestations of the fledgling ‘politics of enfranchisement’, assessing arguments advanced by political parties in the UK for or against lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. It will analyse how youth citizenship is framed by protagonists, exploring whether party divergence on the voting age issue means political ideology is an influential factor. It will also consider if decentralisation of political power to devolved national parliaments has encouraged diversity in debates about the voting age and youth citizenship across the UK.
