Estonia lowers European election voting age to 16

Estonia’s parliament has approved a law allowing 16-year-olds to vote and 18-year-olds to stand in European Parliament elections from 2029, ERR reported.

The bill passed with 59 votes in favour and 28 against. Reform Party, Estonia 200 and Social Democratic Party MPs supported it, while MPs from Isamaa, the Centre Party and EKRE opposed it.

Under current rules, voters must be at least 18 and candidates at least 21. The new age limits apply to Estonian citizens and to citizens of other European Union countries who are permanent residents of Estonia.

The change was proposed in March 2024 by 45 MPs, who said it would involve more young people in decisions on European affairs. They argued that an ageing population means political participation and decision-making are increasingly weighted towards older voters, and that lowering the age could bring issues affecting young people into greater focus.

The bill’s first reading took place in May 2024, and it reached its second reading in June this year. Parliament’s Constitutional Committee discussed it at nine meetings, four of them public, and commissioned an overview of the effects of lowering the voting age in European countries, as well as a University of Tartu study on young people’s decision-making abilities and the factors influencing them.

The voting age for local elections in Estonia was lowered earlier. Since 2017, 16- and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in those elections.