Plenary session - Voting age for Berlin House of Representatives to be lowered to 16
In Berlin, 16 and 17-year-olds will also be allowed to vote in the state parliament in future. On Thursday, the House of Representatives debated an amendment to the constitution to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, which was then passed by a large majority in the evening. The CDU, SPD, Greens and Left Party are behind the move. The supporters argue that this will strengthen democracy and give younger people more political participation.
"Young people have to bear the political consequences for the longest time. Now they will also be involved in the decisions," said Green politician Klara Schedlich, who, according to her parliamentary group, is the youngest member of the state parliament at the age of 23. "We have a reason to celebrate today, all democrats in this House." The AfD rejected the plan.
According to the "Mehr Demokratie" association, Berlin is the seventh federal state in which people aged 16 and over can vote at state level. This is expected to be the case for the first time in 2026 in the election to the House of Representatives.
With 16- and 17-year-old German citizens, the number of people eligible to vote for the state parliament and thus also for referendums would increase by around 50,000 from around 2.44 million at present, according to the Senate - i.e. by around two percent.
Up to now, 16 and 17-year-olds have been able to vote in elections to Berlin's district assemblies, i.e. the local parliaments. Following a change in the law at federal level, this will also apply to European elections, for the first time in 2024.
According to the constitution, all Germans who have reached the age of 18 on the day of the election and have had their main place of residence in Berlin for at least three months were previously eligible to vote for the state parliament. All eligible voters who have reached the age of 18 on the day of the election can be elected to parliament.
The latter point, the so-called passive right to vote, is not to change: This means that in future, people will only be allowed to stand for election to the state parliament from the age of 18.
Constitutional amendment Voting age 16
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- The Green Party's Klara Schedlich, the youngest member of the Berlin state parliament at the age of 23, expressed her support for lowering the voting age in the House of Representatives.
- The SPD, CDU, Greens, and Left Party in the Berlin state parliament collectively advocated for the lowering of the voting age, aiming to make democracy more inclusive by increasing political participation among youth.
- The CDU and SPD, along with their coalition partners, were instrumental in passing the constitutional amendment lowering the voting age in Berlin's House of Representatives to 16, marking a significant shift in democracy and political engagement for younger generations.
- Late Thursday evening, the House of Representatives in Berlin celebrated a major milestone toward democracy and youth empowerment, as the state parliament approved a legislation lowering the voting age to 16 in future elections.
Source: www.stern.de
