A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, referendums and recall petitions; to make provision about election agents’ addresses; to make provision about political expenditure and political donations; to make provision about information to be included in electronic campaigning material; to make provision about offences and civil sanctions in connection with elections, referendums and recall petitions and with donations and expenditure for political purposes; to make provision about the disclosure of information by the Electoral Commission; to make provision about the disqualification of offenders for holding elective offices, and their sentencing, where offences are aggravated by hostility towards persons involved in elections, referendums or recall petitions or holders of such offices; and for connected purposes.
House of Commons
Steve ReedLabour (Co-op)
27 March 2026
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Representation of the People Bill would extend voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds, reform how voters are registered, tighten the administration and financing of elections and referendums, and add new rules on political advertising, online information and safeguarding candidates and election staff. It also aims to curb misinformation, increase transparency around donations and spending, and extend disqualification rules for those involved in elections when there is hostility toward election workers.
The bill is currently at Committee stage in the Commons. After first readings and a programme motion, it has undergone several committee days (including March 18, 24, 26 and April 14-16) with amendments being debated and reported back to the House. It has not yet completed its passage through the Commons or moved to the Lords.
A reasoned amendment to the bill at the Commons stage was carried with a large majority against the government-supported position (105 Aye to 410 No). Party lines show broad Conservative and allied support for the bill’s direction, while Labour and many Liberal Democrats and other opposition parties voted against the amendment and the bill’s framework in that instance. Various amendments reflecting different policy angles (some accepted, some defeated or still undecided) point to ongoing cross-party debate over franchise scope, registration safeguards, and donor/transparency rules.
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Showing agreed, defeated, and withdrawn amendments.
Based on 1 recorded vote • Sorted by % Aye
This Bill was debated at second reading on Monday 2 March 2026 and has now been sent to a Public Bill Committee which will scrutinise the Bill line by line and is expected to report to the House by Thursday 23 April 2026.
Black Equity Organisation (BEO) welcomes the Representation of the People Bill, including extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, and introducing Automatic Voter Registration and broader ID options. It urges full AVR rollout across all public services, removal of the photo ID requirement in favour of more acceptable forms of ID (such as bank cards), ethnicity-disaggregated voting data, better notification to people on remand about voting, and protection of Commonwealth citizens’ voting rights.
