Vote at 16

We call for the lowering of the voting age to 16!

The European Youth Forum strongly believes in young people’s right to have a voice in democracy. Lowering the voting age to 16 has been proven to have a clear, positive impact on youth engagement and young people’s political knowledge. Studies show that when young people are engaged earlier in democratic and civil life by voting, they are more engaged for the rest of their lives.

We are not saying that 16 and 17 year-olds should be thrown in at the next local, national or European election with no prior knowledge of the system and how it works. That is why we advocate for citizenship education in all schools, so that young voters will be in position of knowledge when they cast their votes.

Discover more about #vote16!

News

Estonia, Austria: Vote@16

19. 10. 2017
Last week, as Austria was celebrating 10 years of vote@16, 16 and 17-year-olds in Estonia had a chance to cast a ballot for the first time in a local election! To mark this occasion the European Youth Forum and the Estonian National Youth Council ( ENL) organised a two-day event to provide a space for young people to discuss vote@16
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Vote at 16
News

Victory for Vote@16 at the World Economic Forum!

12. 10. 2017
On 29 September, Anna Widegren – Secretary General of the European Youth Forum attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) Reshaping Europe conference. This unique meeting served as a key milestone for the WEF’s New Concept for Europe initiative. It brought together 120 participants, including leading influencers from government, civil society, academia and business, as well as a community of Youth Champions, who are developing new ideas and aspirations for the Future of Europe from local communities.
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Vote at 16