The bill (414 SE) to amend the European Parliament Election Act aims to lower the age for active voting rights (the right to vote) in European Parliament elections from 18 to 16 years and the age for passive voting rights (the right to run for office) from 21 to 18 years, according to its explanatory memorandum.

The initiators of the bill aim to involve more young people in discussing and deciding on European matters. Participation in European Parliament elections impacts decisions at the European level that affect the interests, needs and future of the youth, hence encouraging them to participate more actively as citizens in societal life, the proponents of the change believe.

The explanatory memorandum also notes that the Estonian Constitution does not regulate the elections to the European Parliament; these are governed by the European Parliament Election Act. According to this law, the right to vote is granted to Estonian citizens who have reached the age of 18 by election day and to non-Estonian EU citizens residing permanently in Estonia who have turned 18 by election day and whose voting rights have not been revoked in their country of origin. Similarly, the right to run for office is granted to Estonian citizens and EU citizens residing permanently in Estonia who are at least 21 years old on the day of the election.

The explanatory memorandum states that setting the voting age is a matter of societal agreement and political decision. It highlights that the voting age for local municipal council elections was already lowered to 16 years when, in 2017, young people aged at least 16 participated for the first time as voters in local elections in Estonia.

The lowering of the voting age for local elections has been positively received among young people and has increased the active electorate, the explanatory memorandum emphasizes. "There is no compelling reason to keep the voting age for the European Parliament elections higher than that for local government council elections. Individuals at least 16 years of age are also interested in participating in societal affairs and have achieved a sufficient level of education to understand political issues and the impact of their decisions on society. They have acquired general knowledge of the principles of democracy and civil rights. Voting is practical experience of civics education alongside the theoretical background learned in school," the memorandum states.

The initiators of the bill argue that as Estonia's population ages, political involvement and decision-making power are increasingly skewed towards an older electorate. Consequently, an aging voter base is making decisions about issues affecting young people's lives. The initiators believe that lowering the voting age will bring youth issues more into societal focus and help balance the demographic makeup of the electorate.

The memorandum also points out that several rights and responsibilities are already granted to young people before the age of 18. For example, individuals can be held accountable for misdemeanors or crimes from the age of 14; those at least 15 years old can marry; 16-year-olds may apply for a category B driver's license. Additionally, the right to petition is granted to individuals at least 16 years of age.

According to the Ministry of the Interior's statistics, in the 2021 local elections, there were 26,813 voters aged 16-17 on the electoral rolls, making up about 2.5 percent of the total eligible voters. Of this age group, 6,440 voted using paper ballots. Considering that about 47 percent of voters cast their votes electronically, it can be assumed that a similar or even higher proportion of young people voted electronically, given their IT-savviness. Therefore, an addition of approximately 14,000-15,000 voters could be expected in the European Parliament elections.

The explanatory memorandum also notes that 16-year-olds can vote in the European Parliament elections in Belgium, Germany, Malta and Austria, while in Greece, the voting age is 17, and in other member states, it is 18.

The law would come into force on January 1, 2025, and would be applied for the first time in the 2029 European Parliament elections.

The bill was initiated by 45 members of the Riigikogu from the coalition parties, including the Reform Party, Eesti 200, and the Social Democratic Party. The European Parliament election programs of these same parties call for lowering the voting age to 16 years.

The bill to amend the European Parliament Election Act requires a majority of 51 votes to pass in the 101-meber Riigikogu.

As the voting age for Riigikogu elections is set in the Constitution, changing it is more complex.

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