Voting rights for 16-year-olds? Join the discussion on ‘dialogue’!

It’s not a new question, but one that comes up again and again: should 16-year-olds in Switzerland have the right to vote and stand for election? This week, after years of debate, the House of Representatives decided against lowering the voting age at national level. The issue has been discussed for years and has been rejected time and again – not only at the national, but also at the cantonal level. The list of failed attempts is long, most recently in Bern and Zurich in 2022; some initiatives elsewhere are yet to be dealt with. Only in one case was the idea accepted: In 2007, the cantonal assembly of Glarus voted in favour of lowering the age from 18 to 16. The right to vote for minors is also a topic beyond Switzerland’s borders. Among European countries, Austria and Malta have already granted 16-year-olds the right to vote. Worldwide, this is also the case in Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Cuba. Heated discussion in Riehen Riehen in canton Basel City is one of the ...