LOWERING THE VOTING AGE to 16

Triin BõstrovVice Chairman of The Board of Estonian National Youth

Council

Outline

• Overview of the ENL• Background of Vote@16• Current campaign • Vote@16 – why?• Lobbying • Cooperation • Foreign experience • Recommendations• Conclusion • Q+A

• Estonian National Youth Council, established in 2002, is an umbrella organization connecting:• 44 youth organizations • 15 county youth councils• 70 local youth councils

• ENL is a member of the European Youth Forum and the Network of Estonian Non-Profit Organizations

• Our members - National-international, political, school student and student associations, local, hobby organizations and youth councils

• Estonian National Youth Council has been lobbying lowering the voting age to 16 since 2007– Our main purpose is to lower the voting age

to 16 at 2017 local elections• Estonian National Youth Council and official

documents:– 2007 “Estonian National Youth Council youth

policy positions: youth participation”– 2010 “Estonian National Youth Council youth

policy platform” (old redaction)– 2014 “Estonian National Youth Council’s

program for the Parliament of Estonia elections 2015”

– 2015 “Estonian National youth policy platform” (new redaction)

Background (1/2)

• There are 4 milestones in the process of lowering the voting age in Estonia, these milestones are:– 1990 Congress of Estonia election, 16 year old

people voted!– In 2010 Estonian National Youth Council

presented a proposal for the constitutional committee of the Parliament of Estonia

– Spring 2012 lowering the voting age was part of broader debates and discussions. In 2012 constitutional committee of the Parliament of Estonia held first public hearing about lowering the voting age to 16

– 2014 July - bill to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 in local elections in Estonia submitted to Parliament of Estonia

Background (2/2)

• January and February – preparations • March 2014 - Changes in the cabinet

office were incentive • Spring 2014 – meeting with politicians

and LYV• 28.05.2014 – Lowering the voting age

conference• 02.06.2014 – Model for lowering the

voting age • 03.06.2014 – Second open hearing at

constitutional committee

Current campaign2014

Current campaign2014

• 01.07.2014 – A bill to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 in local elections in Estonia submitted to Parliament

• August 2014 - Opinion Festival 2014 • 05.09.2014 – lowering the voting age

analysis • 16.09.2014 - 1st hearing at the Parliament

of Estonia• 16.12.2014 - 2nd hearing at the

Parliament of Estonia• 3rd hearing is scheduled for February 2015• Shadow Elections 2015

Vote@16 – why?Arguments

• Interests of the politicians in in favor of the elderly– This needs to change!

• Young people and connection with their municipality

• Voting habits!• Increase the change of young pepole

moving back to their hometown at a later time and therefore reducing urbanization

• Civic education experience – Theoretical knowledge connected with

practical experience• Young people and their importance!

Lobbying

Consistent lobbying throughout the years (8 years)• be persistent • meeting with stakeholders • professors • youth participation experts• Minister of Justice• Legal adviser of the President of

Estonia• former Chancellor of Justice• Members of the Parliament etc

Cooperation regarding the lowering the voting age is dived into two:

1) Estonian National Youth Council developed cooperation points with our strategic partners, such as political youth and other umbrella organizations

2) Estonian National Youth Council developed cooperation points with foreign partners, such as Austrian Youth Council and European Youth Forum

Cooperation

Estonian National Youth created model for lowering the voting age to 16 in cooperation with experts and strategic partners

Purpose of the model is to chart issues regarding the subject and present solutions in order maximise the effectiveness of lowering the voting age in Estonia. Some of the issues that Estonian National Youth Council detected were quality of civic education, political propaganda in schools, level of Russian schools in Estonia etc

Lowering the voting age model – what it is and?

Foreign experience

• Lowering the voting age to 16 have implemented in:– Nicaragua (1984)– Brazil (1988)– Argentina (2012) – Austria (2007)– Malta (2015) – Scottish referendum (2014) – Norway (2011 simulation)– Germany and Slovenia (can vote when he

or she is employed)

Recommendations

• Members and youth – what do they think?

• Foreign experience • Analysis, surveys, research• Lobby, lobby, lobby• Vote@16 and media

Conclusion

Youth organizations are important and they can make

difference!

QUESTIONS? IDEAS?

COMMENTS?

THANK YOU!

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