Overview

This bill proposes to lower the voting age to 16 for all UK elections and referendums. It also introduces mandatory citizenship and constitution education in schools in England and Wales.

Description

Part 1: Young Persons' Enfranchisement reduces the voting age to 16 for all elections (general, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Assembly, European Parliament, and local government) and referendums across the UK. It also mandates electoral registration officers to take reasonable steps to register 16 and 17-year-olds and to prepare for the registration of 15-year-olds.

Part 2: Young Persons' Education (Citizenship and the Constitution) makes citizenship and constitution education (CCE) a mandatory part of the curriculum in maintained schools and other state-funded schools in England and Wales. CCE will cover topics such as collective decision-making, the UK's constitutional arrangements, and the roles of its political and legal systems. The curriculum's details will be determined by individual schools, but must be accurate, balanced, politically impartial, age-appropriate, and promote acceptance of diversity. Teacher training will be updated to include CCE.

Part 3: General outlines the bill's extent, commencement, and citation. Parts 2 and 3, and Section 3 of Part 1, will come into force the day after Royal Assent. The rest of Part 1 will come into force on the first day of September in the second academic year after Part 2's commencement.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't specify exact figures for increased government spending. Costs will arise from implementing the new curriculum, teacher training, and potentially electoral registration processes.

Groups Affected

• 16 and 17-year-olds: Gain the right to vote in all elections and referendums.
• Schools in England and Wales: Required to implement a new citizenship and constitution education curriculum.
• Teachers: Required to undergo additional training in citizenship and constitution education.
• Electoral Registration Officers: Responsible for registering younger voters.
• Political Parties: May need to adapt their campaigning strategies to engage younger voters.

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