Lowering the Voting Age 16 – what other countries can learn from Austria

Elections are crucial for democracies; the question, who has a right to vote is thus of highest importance and is usually discussed heatedly. Austria was the first country in the European Union (EU) that lowered the general voting age to 16 in 2007. Supporters hoped that this measure would give young people a louder voice. Critics soon raised many questions, e.g.: Are young people mature enough to vote? Do they know enough to make a correct choice? Will the use their newly gained right at all or will they abstain?

Read the contribution by Eva Zeglovits, Political analyst, Institute for Empirical Social Studies (IFES)