16-year-olds should be able to vote in European elections, says professor

Young people should be allowed to vote at the age of 16, says political scientist Sarah de Lange (UvA). In her opinion, political interest is then more likely to be sparked, and the opinion of a 16-year-old counts. Progressive parties agree with her. However, Minister Hugo De Jonge said that this will not happen "in the near future", but "maybe one day".

According to the professor, it is a "major obstacle" to regulate this, as the voting age is set at 18 in the constitution and this is difficult to change. The voting age for the European Parliament, next June, is in the electoral law and can be changed more easily. De Lange is in favor of lowering it to 16.

Belgium and Germany have already lowered the voting age for European elections. "This is how young people are introduced to politics. And the political self-confidence they then gain also has an impact on national elections," says De Lange. In Germany, even 16-year-olds have recently been allowed to vote in national elections in certain parts of the country.

The professor believes that "at some point" the constitution can also be changed, but this would require a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the Tweede Kamer. So far, only D66, GroenLinks-PvdA, PvdD, and Volt have included a lowering of the voting age in their election manifestos. The NSC, which is very popular in the polls, has not yet taken a position. Other parties that can count on many votes, such as VVD and BBB, insist on the age limit of 18 because young people at this age are also given other rights, such as opening a bank account and buying a house.

The right to vote from the age of 16 is a good way to get young people more involved in politics, says Hugo de Jonge, the Minister of the Interior responsible for the democratic constitutional state. "But there are also arguments against it, and they mainly have to do with the fact that the right to vote is really something big and serious, and that goes with the age at which you are an adult before the law," says de Jonge.

De Lange disagrees: "Every Dutch citizen should be able to vote, and we should exclude as few people as possible. She also says that young people have different views than older people, especially when it comes to climate and migration. "It is important that these views are represented in politics." In addition, many young people are already working at the age of 16, paying taxes, or otherwise dependent on the state. "Then they should also have a say in a matter," says De Lange.

According to the professor, lowering the voting age also has a positive effect on voter turnout: 16-year-olds are subject to compulsory education so schools can guide pupils through their first vote as part of civics lessons. This guidance can be "crucial" because someone who is allowed to vote for the first time and actually goes to the polls often makes a habit of voting, De Lange explains.

The minister says that the discussion has been going on for a long time, but that the majority of political parties think that 18 is the right age to go into the voting booth for the first time. "And I think that remains the case," said De Jonge. "But at the same time, I am open to the argument that you have to get young people interested in politics in the first place." He therefore makes a "passionate plea" for more civic education, youth councils, and student parliaments.