The Representation of the People Bill is a bill of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The bill, if passed, will reduce the voting age in the United Kingdom from 18 years old to 16 years old, expand accepted voter ID, and expand the powers of the Electoral Commission.
The bill implements the government white paper Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections and introduces a lowered voting age, automatic voter registration, requires ID for candidate nominations, extends the range of acceptable voter ID to include bank cards, and makes a number of changes to campaign finance and imprints, as well as expanding the Electoral Commission's powers by extending its enforcement powers to include "candidate, local third party campaigner and recall petition campaigner political finance offences" and removing the government’s ability to set its strategic direction. The bill also creates stronger legal consequences for electoral intimidation and harassment, with courts gaining greater sentencing powers in such cases.
References