Lowering the Voting Age
The debate over whether 16- and 17-year-olds should vote, the evidence from countries that have tried it, and why age thresholds exist.
The Age Threshold
The voting age has changed over time. For most of modern democratic history, it was 21. The global trend toward 18 accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by the argument that if 18-year-olds could be drafted to fight in wars, they should be able to vote. The US lowered its voting age to 18 via the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971 in the fastest ratification of any constitutional amendment in US history. The United Kingdom had already moved from 21 to 18 with the Representation of the People Act 1969. Today, 18 is the standard in most countries.
Several countries have gone further. Austria lowered its voting age to 16 for all elections in 2007, becoming the first EU member state to do so. Scotland allowed 16-year-olds to vote in the 2014 independence referendum and made it permanent for Scottish Parliament and local elections thereafter. Brazil, Ecuador, and Nicaragua allow voting at 16 (voluntary, with compulsory voting starting at 18). A growing movement in the US, UK, and Europe advocates for Votes at 16.
