Votes at 16: Making it a Success around the World
Campaigns to lower the voting age are spreading all over the world. Join us on 1/17 to hear from advocates working on Vote 16 policies and scholars studying what happens when the voting age drops.
Please find information below on an exciting event on Tuesday, January 17th highlighting the global campaign to lower the voting age to 16.
Votes at 16: Making it a Success
17 January 2023 | 8am San Francisco, 11am Washington DC, 4pm London, 5pm Berlin
Hosted by d|part – Think Tank for Political Participation, SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, University of Maryland
You can register here.
It promises to be an exciting event. Participants will get updates on all the latest news on the international movement to lower the voting age, hear about some of the most cutting edge research from countries implementing vote 16 policies, and learn about concrete ways to get involved in this work.
Campaigns to lower the voting age to 16 have gained significant traction around the globe. Most recently, Germany announced that they would lower the voting age to 16 for European Parliament elections and the New Zealand Supreme Court ruled that a voting age at 18 was incompatible with the country’s bill of rights.
Exciting insights are emerging in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Estonia, Scotland and Wales that have lowered the voting age to 16 for at least some elections. New campaigns to lower the voting age to 16 have emerged across the world including particularly strong efforts in the parliaments of Canada and Australia and new momentum in Moldova.
Numerous cities in the United States have also lowered the voting age to 16, and a campaign in Culver City, California, held a public referendum on the topic in 2022 that came within 16 votes of passing out of nearly 20,000 cast.
Our 2022 Vote 16 Research Network Literature Review synthesized research from around the world and found that lowering the voting age creates important opportunities to increase political engagement of young people and strengthen democracy for all voters by more effectively including youth voices in government. However, we have also seen in country after country that the success of this reform depends on its implementation. We therefore want to shift the focus from whether the voting age should be lowered to how it should be done to harness the full potential of such a change.
For this purpose, Jan Eichhorn (d|part & University of Edinburgh) and Christine Hübner (d|part & University of Sheffield) have conducted a study that synthesizes insights from researchers and campaigners across many countries to bring together learnings for how Votes at 16 can become a success. At our event on January 17th, we will present this research. You can register here.
The event will be moderated by Scott Warren (Fellow, SNF Agora Institute). After a presentation of the key insights from Jan and Christine, we will hear reflections from two campaigners: Jessica Blair (Electoral Reform Society – United Kingdom) and Aleksi Toivainen (Vote16 Canada). We then hope for a lively discussion with all participants – and ultimately hope that the report will be a useful resource for many engaged in Votes at 16 campaigns or the implementation of enfranchisement changes.
Please join us! You can register here.