Everyone in Britain Over the Age of 18 Was Allowed to Vote in Parliamentary Elections

  • April 17, 1969

The Representation of the People Act 1969 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the first major country to do so. The Representation of the People Act 1985 gave British citizens abroad the right to vote for a five-year period after they had left the United Kingdom. The Representation of the People Act 1989 extended the period to 20 years; and citizens who were too young to vote when they left the country also became eligible.