Also at the federal level
Bas promotes the right to vote from the age of 16
February 24, 2024, 5:19 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
In this year’s European elections, 16-year-olds are allowed to vote for the first time. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas clearly welcomes this step and is calling for the voting age to be lowered at the federal level as well. The reactions in the coalition are mixed.
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas has spoken out in favor of a general lowering of the voting age to 16 years. “In the European elections in June, 16-year-olds will be allowed to vote for the first time. That’s good for our democracy,” said Bas. “We should follow suit with the federal and state elections.”
Some people would be upset if young people were given the right to vote before they came of age, Bas admitted. “But I will not stop campaigning for a majority to change the constitution to lower the voting age to 16,” she continued. “For me, this is part of education for democracy.” The earlier people vote, the more likely it is that they will continue to take part in elections regularly in the future, argued Bas, citing relevant studies.
Providing information to schools and election app
The SPD politician also held schools responsible. “The students have to learn not to just get information on TikTok or YouTube – and to distinguish information from fake news,” she said. Rather, “the value of democracy must always be taught” in schools.
Bas expressed his openness to voting via app, as Estonia is currently planning. “I definitely want to look at this app, it could be a useful tool in the future,” she said. However, it must be ensured that such a voting app cannot be manipulated. But then it could contribute to higher voter turnout.
Mixed reactions within the coalition
Bas’s proposal met with a mixed response in the traffic light coalition. Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt said young people had “every right to decide for themselves about their future.” That’s why she’s also campaigning for the voting age to be lowered to 16.
Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki expressed his opposition. “In my view, the voting age should be based on adulthood,” he told the newspapers. “If the legislature does not grant those under 18 years of age full business capacity, then it makes no sense to legally define this maturity when deciding on the country’s political future.”