Voting age

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A legal voting age is the minimum age that a person is allowed to vote in a democratic process. Most nations use 18 years of age as their voting age, but for other countries their voting age ranges between 16 and 21 (with the sole exception of the United Arab Emirates where the voting age is 25). A nation's voting age may therefore coincide with the country's age of majority, but in many cases the two are not tied.

In 1890, the South African Republic, commonly known as the Transvaal Republic, set a voting age of 18 years.^[1] The effort was, like later legislation expanding voting rights for women and impoverished whites, in part an attempt to skew the electorate further in favor of Afrikaner interests against uitlanders.

Prior to the Second World War of 1939–1945, the voting age in almost all countries was 21 years or higher. The U.S. state of Georgia lowered its age to 18 by referendum in 1943, for all elections including Congress and President, on the basis that many under 21 were at war; Kentucky followed suit in 1955. In 1946 Czechoslovakia became the first state to reduce the voting age nationally to 18 years,^[2] and by 1968 a total of 17 countries had lowered their voting age, of which 8 were in Latin America, and 8 were communist countries.^[3]

Australia, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland had lowered their voting age to 20 by the end of the 1960s.^[4]

Many major democratic countries, beginning in Western Europe and North America, reduced their voting ages to 18 years during the 1970s, starting with the United Kingdom (Representation of the People Act 1969),^[4][5][6] Canada, West Germany (1970), the United States (26th Amendment, 1971), Australia (1974), France (1974), Sweden (1975) and others. It was argued that if young men could be drafted to go to war at 18, they should be able to vote at the age of 18.^[7]

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries voting ages were lowered to 18 in Japan,^[8] India, Switzerland, Austria, the Maldives, and Morocco. By the end of the 20th century, 18 had become by far the most common voting age. However, a few countries maintain a voting age of 20 years or higher, and a few countries have a lower voting age of 16 or 17.^[9]

The vast majority of countries and territories have a minimum voting age of 18-years-old as of October 2020.^[10] According to data from the ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, 205 countries and territories have a minimum voting age of 18 for national elections out of 237 countries and territories the organization has data on as of October 2020.^[10] As of the aforementioned date, 12 countries or territories have a minimum voting age of less than 18, with 3 countries or territories at 17-years-old, and 9 countries or territories at 16-years-old.^[10] 16-years-old is the lowest minimum age globally for national elections, while the highest is 25-years-old which is only the case in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).^[10] This age of 25 was also the case in Italy for Senate (upper house) elections until it was lowered to 18 in 2021.^[11] Italy's lower house of Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, has had a minimum voting age of 18 since 1975, when it was lowered from 21.^[12]

Around 2000, a number of countries began to consider whether the voting age ought to be reduced further, with arguments most often being made in favor of a reduction to 16. In Brazil, the age was lowered to 16 in the 1988 Constitution, while the lower voting age took effect for the first time in the 1989 Presidential Election. The earliest moves in Europe came during the 1990s, when the voting age for municipal elections in some States of Germany was lowered to 16. Lower Saxony was the first state to make such a reduction, in 1995, and four other states did likewise.^[13]

In 2007, Austria became the first country to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in national elections, with the expanded franchise first being consummated in the 2009 European Parliament election. A study of young voters' behavior on that occasion showed them to be as capable as older voters to articulate their beliefs and to make voting decisions appropriate for their preferences. Their knowledge of the political process was only insignificantly lower than in older cohorts, while trust in democracy and willingness to participate in the process were markedly higher.^[14] Additionally, there was evidence found for the first time of a voting boost among young people age 16–25 in Austria.^[15]

During the 2000s several proposals for a reduced voting age were put forward in U.S. states, including California, Florida and Alaska,^[16] but none were successful. In Oregon, Senate Joint Resolution 22 has been introduced to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16.^[17] A national reduction was proposed in 2005 in Canada^[18] and in the Australian state of New South Wales,^[19] but these proposals were not adopted. In May 2009, Danish Member of Parliament Mogens Jensen presented an initiative to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to lower the voting age in Europe to 16.^[20]

Demands to reduce the voting age to 16 years were again brought forward by activists of the school strike for climate movement in several countries (including Germany and the UK).^[21][22]

After Premier Don Dunstan introduced the Age of Majority (Reduction) Bill in October 1970, the voting age in South Australia was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1973.

On 21 October 2019, Greens MP Adam Bandt introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to lower the voting age to 16.^[23]

A report suggesting that consideration be given to reducing the voting age to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, Australia was tabled in the territorial legislature on 26 September 2007 and defeated.^[24]

In 2015, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that the voting age should be lowered to 16.^[25]

In 2007, Austria became the first member of the European Union to adopt a voting age of 16 for most purposes.^[26][27] The voting age had been reduced in Austria from 19 to 18 at all levels in 1992. At that time a voting age of 16 was proposed by the Green Party, but was not adopted.^[28]

The voting age for municipal elections in some states was lowered to 16 shortly after 2000.^[13] Three states had made the reduction by 2003 (Burgenland, Carinthia and Styria),^[13] and in May 2003 Vienna became the fourth.^[29] Salzburg followed suit,^[30][31] and so by the start of 2005 the total had reached at least five states out of nine.^[32] As a consequence of state law, reduction of the municipal voting age in the states of Burgenland, Salzburg and Vienna resulted in the reduction of the regional voting age in those states as well.^[31]

After the 2006 election, the winning SPÖ-ÖVP coalition announced on 12 January 2007 that one of its policies would be the reduction of the voting age to 16 for elections in all states and at all levels in Austria.^[33] The policy was set in motion by a Government announcement on 14 March,^[34] and a bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution was presented to the legislature on 2 May.^[35][36] On 5 June the National Council approved the proposal following a recommendation from its Constitution Committee.^[26][28][37] During the passage of the bill through the chamber relatively little opposition was raised to the reduction, with four out of five parties explicitly supporting it; indeed, there was some dispute over which party had been the first to suggest the idea. Greater controversy surrounded the other provisions of the bill concerning the Briefwahl, or postal vote, and the extension of the legislative period for the National Council from four to five years.^[28] A further uncontroversial inclusion was a reduction in the candidacy age from 19 to 18. The Federal Council approved the Bill on 21 June, with no party voting against it.^[38] The voting age was reduced when the Bill's provisions came into force on 1 July 2007.^[39] Austria thus became the first member of the European Union, and the first of the developed world democracies, to adopt a voting age of 16 for all purposes.^[26] Lowering the voting age encouraged political interest in young people in Austria. More sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds voted than eighteen-to-twenty-one-year-olds in Austria.^[40]

Brazil lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 in the 1988 constitution. The presidential election of 1989 was the first with the lower voting age. People between the ages 18 and 70 are required to vote. The person must be 16 full years old on the eve of the election (In years without election, the person must be 16 full years old on or before 31 December). If they turn 18 years old after the election, the vote is not compulsory. When they turn 18 years old before the election, the vote is compulsory.

Canada lowered its federal voting age from 21 to 18 in 1970.^[41][42] Most Canadian provinces soon followed suit, though several initially lowered their voting age to 19. It wasn't until 1992 when the last province, British Columbia, lowered its voting age to 18.^[43] A further reduction to 16 was proposed federally in 2005, but was not adopted.^[18][44] It was proposed again in 2011, but was not adopted.^[45]

In August 2018, in British Columbia, a group of 20 youth partnered with Dogwood BC to launch a Vote16 campaign.^[46] Currently, they have unanimous support from the Union of BC Municipalities,^[47] as well as endorsements from the province's Green Party of British Columbia and British Columbia New Democratic Party representatives.^{[48][better source needed]} The campaign is now waiting for it to be brought up in the legislative assembly by the NDP and for it to pass there.^{[46][better source needed]}

In 2020, Canadian Senator Marilou McPhedran introduced a bill to lower the federal voting age from 18 to 16. She reintroduced it again in November 2021, (bill S-201), but it died on the floor when Parliament was prorogued in January 2025.^[49][50][51] In December 2021, a group of young people filed a court challenge to lower the federal voting age from 18, arguing that the voting age is unconstitutional for violating multiple sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.^[42] Several weeks later, Taylor Bachrach of the New Democratic Party (NDP) introduced a private member's bill to lower the voting age to 16.^[44] The bill (C-210) was debated in May 2022.^[52] The bill was defeated in its second reading with 245 members of parliament voting to oppose the bill and 77 voting to support it.^[53]

Internal elections run by Canadian political parties have a lower voting age than that of general elections set by the government, typically allowing party members 14 and up to vote.^{[54][55][56][57][58][59]}

As stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the voting age is 16 for men and women.^[60]

As part of their 2021 coalition deal, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed to lower the voting age for European Elections to 16 within the course of the 20th Bundestag. They successfully did so in time for the 2024 European parliament elections. They also aimed to lower the voting age for elections to the German parliament. However, this would need a change of the constitution, which was blocked by the opposition CDU.^[61] Seven of the 16 states have also lowered their voting age for state elections and 11 of the 16 have lowered it for local elections.

The first proposal to lower the voting age to 16 years was submitted in parliament in 2007. A bill to lower the voting age for municipal elections reached the final reading in 2018, but was filibustered by opponents until the close of the parliamentary session.^[62]

On 28 October 2023, the municipalities of Vesturbyggð and Tálknafjarðarhreppur held a referendum on unification; the voting age in this referendum was lowered to 16.^[63]

Iran had been unique in awarding suffrage at 15, but raised the age to 18 in January 2007 despite the opposition of the Government.^[64] In May 2007 the Iranian Cabinet proposed a bill to reverse the increase.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, Luxembourg has compulsory voting from the age of 18.

Discussion about lowering the voting age to 16 was first introduced as part of a wider June 2015 referendum. The broader principles of the referendum which concerned electoral reform were rejected by 81% of voters.

Discussion, specifically surrounding the lowering of the voting age to 16 received almost universal support in 2025.^[65] Politically, only the ADR and CSV oppose the idea.

On 20 November 2013, Malta lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 for local elections starting from 2015. The proposal had wide support from both the government and opposition, social scientists and youth organizations.

On Monday, 5 March 2018, the Maltese Parliament unanimously voted in favor of amending the constitution, lowering the official voting age from 18 to 16 for general elections, European Parliament Elections and referendums, making Malta the second state in the EU to lower its voting age to 16.^[66]

The New Zealand Green Party MP Sue Bradford announced on 21 June 2007 that she intended to introduce her Civics Education and Voting Age Bill on the next occasion upon which a place became available for the consideration of Members' Bills.^[67] When this happened on 25 July Bradford abandoned the idea, citing an adverse public reaction.^[68] The Bill would have sought to reduce the voting age to 16 in New Zealand and make civics education part of the compulsory curriculum in schools.

On 21 November 2022, the Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled in Make It 16 Incorporated v Attorney-General that the voting age of 18 was "inconsistent with the bill of rights to be free from discrimination on the basis of age".^[69] Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern subsequently announced that a bill to lower the voting age to 16 would be debated in parliament, requiring a supermajority to pass.^[70] This bill was subsequently withdrawn in January 2024, after the Sixth National Government of New Zealand was elected.^[71]

The Representation of the People Act 1969 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 for elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the first major democratic nation to do so.^[4][5][6] The 1970 United Kingdom general election is the first in which this Act had effect.

Men in military service who turned 19 during the first world war were entitled to vote in 1918 irrespective of their age as part of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which also allowed some women over the age of 30 to vote. The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928 brought the voting age for women down to 21.^[72]

The reduction of the voting age to 16 in the United Kingdom was first given serious consideration in 1999, when the House of Commons considered in Committee an amendment proposed by Simon Hughes to the Representation of the People Bill.^[73] This was the first time the reduction of a voting age below 18 had ever been put to a vote in the Commons.^[74] The Government opposed the amendment, and it was defeated by 434 votes to 36.^[74]

The Votes at 16 coalition, a group of political and charitable organizations supporting a reduction of the voting age to 16, was launched on in 2003.^[75] At that time a Private Member's Bill was also proposed in the House of Lords by Lord Lucas.^[76]

In 2004, the UK Electoral Commission conducted a major consultation on the subject of the voting age and age of candidacy, and received a significant response. In its conclusions, it recommended that the voting age remain at 18.^[77] In 2005, the House of Commons voted 136-128 (on a free vote) against a Private Member's Bill for a reduction in the voting age to 16 proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams. Parliament chose not to include a provision reducing the voting age in the Electoral Administration Act during its passage in 2006.

The report of the Power Inquiry in 2006 called for a reduction of the voting age, and of the candidacy age for the House of Commons, to 16.^[78] On the same day the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, indicated in an article in The Guardian that he favored a reduction provided it was made concurrently with effective citizenship education.^[79]

The Ministry of Justice published in 2007 a Green Paper entitled The Governance of Britain, in which it proposed the establishment of a "Youth Citizenship Commission".^[80] The Commission would examine the case for lowering the voting age. On launching the paper in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Although the voting age has been 18 since 1969, it is right, as part of that debate, to examine, and hear from young people themselves, whether lowering that age would increase participation."^[81]

During the Youth Parliament debates of in 2009 in the House of Commons, Votes at 16 was debated and young people of that age group voted for it overwhelmingly as a campaign priority. In April 2015, Labour announced that it would support the policy if it won an overall majority in the 2015 general election,^[82] which it failed to do.

Surrounding Brexit, in June 2016, the government was criticised for not lowering the voting age to 16 for the referendum.^[83][84]

Following the 2024 general election, Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, was elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. As part of the 2024 Labour Party manifesto, they maintained this previous position, confirming they would lower the voting age from 18 to 16 in all elections, replacing the existing split of 16 and 18 age limits in Scotland and Wales.^[85]

In July 2025, the government announced that the minimum voting age for all elections in the UK would be reduced to 16 by the 2029 general election, branding it a "seismic" change, in addition to adding bank cards as valid voter ID.^[86]

The Scottish National Party conference voted unanimously on 27 October 2007 for a policy of reducing the voting age to 16 (the age of majority in Scotland), as well as in favour of a campaign for the necessary power to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.^[87]

In September 2011, it was announced that the voting age was likely to be reduced from 18 to 16 for the Scottish independence referendum.^[88] This was approved by the Scottish Parliament in June 2013.^[89]

In June 2015, the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to reduce the voting age to 16 for elections for the Scottish Parliament and for Scottish local government elections. The voting age in Scotland remains 18 for UK general elections.^[90]

Major reforms were recommended in 2017 in the 'A Parliament That Works For Wales' report, by the expert panel on Assembly Electoral Reform led by Professor Laura McAllister. It included increasing the size of the Assembly, adapting or changing the electoral system and reducing the age of voting to 16.^[91]

The Welsh Assembly's Commission, the corporate body, introduced a bill in 2019 to reduce the voting age to 16 and change the Assembly's name to Senedd.^[92] The National Assembly for Wales passed the Senedd and Election (Wales) Act later that year.^[93] A vote to remove this enfranchisement was defeated by 41 votes to 11. The first election to include the biggest enfranchisement in Welsh politics since 1969 was the 2021 Senedd election.^[94]

The Welsh Government also legislated for the enfranchisement of 16- and 17-year-olds in the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act, which received royal assent in 2021. The changes – which included lowering the voting age to 16 for local elections in Wales – were in place for local Welsh elections in 2022, however the age to vote in Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections in Wales remains at 18.^[95] The voting age in Wales also remains at 18 for UK general elections.^[96][97][98]

The British Overseas Territories are those parts of the British Realm that lie outside the archipelago of the British Isles. Before 1983, they were termed British colonies, and, from 1983 to 2002, British Dependent Territories).

The voting age in the British Overseas Territories for the United Kingdom Parliamentary elections would be the same as in that part of the realm that lies within the British Isles. However no electoral district has ever been created for any such territory, and British nationals from the territories must first establish residency in an existing electoral district in order to exercise their voting rights in national elections.

Local elected legislatures were established in Virginia in 1619 and Bermuda (originally settled as part of Virginia) in 1620. After the Act of Union 1707, sovereignty remained with the British parliament, which asserted its right to legislate for the colonies,^[99] though in practice certain competencies were delegated by the British government to the local governments (varying depending upon the degree of representation in the local government of each colony).

Since the 1960s, most of the remaining colonies have been given elected legislatures similar to Bermuda's (or the Councils that advise the appointed governors, originally made up only of appointees, now include elected members), with the enfranchisement for local elections determined by local legislation (subject, like all local legislation, to the approval of the national government). In Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena (and presumably Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha), and Turks and Caicos Islands the current voting ages for local elections are all 18. There are no permanent inhabitants, and no local legislatures, in British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Under the agreement with Cyprus by which Britain retained the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British government agreed not to set up and administer "colonies" and not to allow new settlement of people in the Sovereign Base Areas other than for temporary purposes. There is no local legislature, and consequently there are no local elections.

As of 2025, the voting age in all British Crown Dependencies is now set at 16.^{[100][101][102][103][104]}

Moves to lower the voting age to 16 were first successful in the three British Crown dependencies from 2006 to 2008. The Isle of Man was the first to amend previous legislation in 2006, when it reduced the voting age to 16 for its general elections, with the House of Keys approving the move by 19 votes to 4.^[105]

Jersey followed suit in 2007, when it approved a reduction of the voting age to 16. The States of Jersey voted narrowly in favour, by 25 votes to 21,^[106] and the legislative amendments were adopted.^[107] The law was sanctioned by Order in Council,^[108][109] and was brought into force in time for the general elections in late 2008.^[110][111]

In 2007, a proposal^[112][113] for a reduction (in voting age to 16) made by the House Committee of the States of Guernsey, and approved by the States' Policy Committee, was adopted by the assembly by 30 votes to 15.^[113][114] An Order in Council sanctioned the law,^[108] and it was registered at the Court of Guernsey. It came into force immediately, and the voting age was accordingly reduced in time for the 2008 Guernsey general election.^[115]

In 2022, both Alderney and Sark passed legislation which lowered the voting age to 16 for all elections going forward.^[103][104]