Similarly, reducing the minimum age at which people can run for office to a uniform 18 for all elections would allow all adult citizens to get involved in politics, Lahe goes on.

In the EU, four member states, namely Germany, Malta, Belgium, and Austria, have cut the voting age to 16 for European Parliament elections.

Greece has set the minimum age a year older, at 17. A similar proposal is also being debated in Ireland, where a referendum in 2018 resulted in 80 percent of voters supporting a lower voting age of 16.

To ensure equality and fair access to fundamental civil and political rights, the European Parliament in 2022 proposed to standardize the candidacy age for European Parliament elections at 18 years of age, across all member states.

Currently, this is the case in 15 of the EU27; nine more have a minimum candidacy age of 21, one sets it at 23, and two more at 25 years old.

In Estonia, 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in local elections since 2017.

Statistics reveal that the voter turnout for 16-17-year-olds is nearly 40 percent, virtually on par with those aged 25-34, and several percentage points higher than the next-youngest age group, ie.18-24-year-olds.

Such a phenomenon is not peculiar to Estonia; voting results across Europe confirm an increase in voter turnout among the younger demographic.

In my view, reducing the voting and candidacy ages at local elections was the right step towards a more progressive country and a more inclusive society. Why, then, should this step not be repeated for European Parliament and national elections?

A uniform lower limit for both the voting and candidacy ages would also be welcome. Given that 16- and 17-year-olds have displayed health levels of voter turnout at local elections, they should be granted the same rights and opportunities to participate in democracy in the other two types of direct election.

Civic society has much to gain

The question of age and the right to vote and run as a candidate is values-based. A 16-year-old can apply for their first driver's license, can officially work, and also has to independently choose whether to continue their education after completing basic school (Põhikool).

However, they still cannot vote to the European Parliament and to the Riigikogu.

At 18, a person is seen as an adult in the eyes of the law and can join a political party according to legislation on parties, yet must wait three more years to be eligible to run either for the European Parliament or the Riigikogu.

A study prepared by the Ministry of Justice back in 2011 ahead of the debate on lowering the voting age – which had begun that year – found no negative consequences in countries like Austria (which has had a lower voting age since 2007), while some German länder had already adopted this practice too. These findings still hold true today, with several more countries having joined this groundswell. No negative potential consequences were identified in the Estonian context, either.

Granting young people more rights has nothing to lose but much to gain. As of January 1, 2023, there were 29,000 16- and 17-year-olds in Estonia– potentially 29,000 voters for national elections. Not all these 29,000 youths would likely vote, but voter turnout could be higher across all age groups. Low interest in participating in elections is not a characteristic unique to the youth.

16-17-year-olds are already politically active

The desire of young people to participate in political processes is also evidenced by the growing interest in various societal movements, youth councils, and political organizations. According to the Statistical Office, in 2022, 26.5 percent of youths aged 15-26 participated in organized voluntary activities. A study by the European Commission found that 58 percent of young people are active in their communities and have participated in the work of one or more youth organizations.

Lowering the voting age helps young people form their opinions. It teaches them to defend their positions, to make decisions, and to take responsibility. If young people can vote before becoming adults, it will positively impact their political inclusion and the development of civic attitudes.

A study by the University of Sheffield found that Scottish youngsters who could vote at 16, in the year 2014, were more likely to vote and were significantly more active in more recent elections, than were those who could first vote at 18.

However, lowering the voting and candidacy age is not a magic wand for engaging youth; civic education and social studies classes play a significant role in their lives.

Young people spend most of their time in school, where they should also gain knowledge and interest in democracy, their country, and politics. A 2021 study on Estonian youth voting behavior found that interest in politics and awareness levels are largely directly related to how these topics are addressed at home and/or school.

Inviting politicians to visit and talk to schools, and organizing political debates there, is certainly one way to bring politics closer to the hearts and minds of young people.

To ensure fairness and neutrality towards candidates and parties in schools, the Chancellor of Justice, the Ministry of Education and Research, and the Estonian Youth Associations' Union have developed a best practice code in respect of elections and their being presented in educational institutions.

Young people should get more say

In 2014, Tallinn University prepared analysis on lowering the voting and candidacy ages. The findings were that no negative effects are projected from lowering the voting and candidacy ages.

If anything, the only risk is that the desired result – boosting voting and candidacy activity among the younger demographic – may not come to fruition. So action is required to prevent this.

It has often been said that young people's worldviews are not yet fully formed, that they are too impressionable, meaning they might make careless mistakes in voting. But does turning 18 suddenly result in a fully formed worldview, impervious to influence, and making only "right" choices at elections? What about at 25? Or at 35?

Who is the arbiter of which choices at the polls are the "right" or "wrong" ones? Right and wrong are subjective assessments. Preferences for parties and political candidates can change through all the different stages of life, and disappointments in politics and/or politicians can happen at all ages.

Young people are active on youth councils and volunteer organizations, so even those young people who want to participate in politics must be given the opportunity to do so.

Political activity among the young leads to greater exposure more broadly of issues, such as climate change, human rights, and education, which are important to them.

Social media and the digital age definitely influence young people's voting behavior more, and this is one counterargument to lowering the voting and candidacy ages.

But instead of throwing up our hands and saying that young people are doomed, we should take control and address the issues.

For example, by tackling the spread of misinformation and regulating the content propagated by influencers, or offering educational and high-quality content on the various social media platforms.

Young people may be fans of politicians who post memes, but that doesn't necessarily make them more interested in politics or bring them to the voting booth. And adults, not just young people, can fall into the misinformation bubble.

Lowering the voting and candidacy age is one way to directly involve young people in decision-making processes. Currently, young people have little say over important decisions, laws, and policies that affect their lives. The lack of say or low interest in politics among the young should not be a fact that society simply accepts. The future belongs to the young, and they must have the right to have a say in it.

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