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The left can't count on 16-year-olds' votes – but here's how they might be won
The Observer
|July 20, 2025
Shuab Gamote
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Democracy isn't working but a dictator's not better." "Everyone's angry. No one trusts anyone. That's politics now." "Farage tells it straight. The others just waffle.
Three quotes, all from 16-year-olds. And if the democracy minister, Rushanara Ali, gets her legislation through in the autumn, they will all have the chance to vote at the next general election.
For the past eight months, I've been listening to 16to 18-year-olds across England - hearing firsthand about their lives and frustrations. As someone in my mid-twenties, I thought I understood social media. But the generations behind me - my younger brother Zakeriya among them - are growing up in a different world. It's faster, louder, more overwhelming. And the more I listened, the more I realised just how wide the gap has become.
Votes at 16 is a bold step forwards, but it comes with no guarantee that these new voters will back progressive parties. Reform UK's Nigel Farage is gaining ground on the right with young people.
This story is from the July 20, 2025 edition of The Observer.
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