Voting at 16: more than just a symbolic gesture?

Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? In Switzerland, the idea is never far from the political agenda – and is usually roundly rejected. Globally, the impact of such a move on youth participation might not be huge, a new index suggests. In 1979, a slim majority of Swiss said ‘no’ to something taken for granted today – voting rights for 18-year-olds. Some of the arguments heard at the time will sound a bit stuffy to modern ears. “Young people today are certainly more uninhibited and precocious than they once were, for example in sexual matters – but that is no proof that they are more mature politically or in character”, one Senator judged. The age remained at 20. But history was heading elsewhere. Already in 1969, the UK had lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The US did likewise in 1971. Countries including Australia, Sweden, and France followed the trend in the 1970s. And in Switzerland, after various cantons adjusted their voting age downwards in the 1980s, another national ...