Democracy - State electoral officer: voting age 16 not a "miracle cure"
Berlin's state electoral officer Stephan Bröchler sees the lowering of the voting age from 18 to 16 decided by the House of Representatives as an important step, but warns against expecting too much. "The voting age from 16 is not a miracle cure for all the problems of our democracy," he told the German Press Agency on Friday.
Nevertheless, the new regulation could help to ensure that issues that concern young people become more important in elections. Bröchler cited climate policy, education and social security as examples. "This is an important incentive for the parties to focus more on youth policy issues, because lowering the voting age increases the voter market for the parties."
However, Bröchler believes further measures are necessary. "In order to have a positive impact on democratic politics, 16-year-olds must have the knowledge to form a critical view of politics," he explained. "This is why readjusting the voting age is an important first step, which must be supplemented by further steps, such as educational programs in schools and democracy projects for young citizens."
On Thursday evening, the House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 16 for the state parliament. This would strengthen democracy and give younger people more political participation, argue the supporters of the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left Party.
According to the "Mehr Demokratie" association, Berlin is the seventh federal state in which young people aged 16 and over are allowed to vote at state level. This is expected to be the case for the first time in the 2026 elections to the House of Representatives.
Constitutional amendment voting age 16
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- The decision to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 in Berlin's House of Representatives was praised by Stephan Bröchler, the state electoral officer, who emphasized that it's an important step towards strengthening democracy, but warned against expecting it to be a miracle cure for all democratic issues.
- The lowering of the voting age could potentially make issues that are significant to the youth, such as climate policy, education, and social security, more prominent during elections, according to Bröchler.
- In order for young voters to engage effectively and critically with political issues, Bröchler believes that educational programs in schools and democracy projects for young citizens are necessary, which he considers as important complementary steps.
- With the passing of the constitutional amendment in the House of Representatives, Berlin becomes the seventh federal state to allow 16-year-olds to vote in state-level elections, and this change is expected to take effect during the 2026 elections to the House of Representatives.
- As the German Press Agency reported on Friday, Stephan Bröchler, as the state electoral officer, has advised lawmakers to approach this change with caution and recognize that while it's not a magical solution, it certainly is an essential step towards enhancing democratic participation among the younger generations in Germany.
Source: www.stern.de
