Voting age

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The voting age is the minimum legal age at which a person may vote in a governmental election.

Contents 1 Voting ages around the world 1.1 A 1.2 B 1.3 C 1.4 D 1.5 E 1.6 F 1.7 G 1.8 H 1.9 I 1.10 J 1.11 K 1.12 L 1.13 M 1.14 N 1.15 O 1.16 P 1.17 Q 1.18 R 1.19 S 1.20 T 1.21 U 1.22 V 1.23 W 1.24 Y 1.25 Z 2 Dates at which voting age was lowered to 18 (from 21 unless indicated) 3 Organizations which want the voting age lowered or removed 4 Political organizations that have endorsed lower voting ages 4.1 Australia 4.2 Austria 4.3 Canada 4.4 Netherlands 4.5 Norway 4.6 United Kingdom 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Voting ages around the world

[edit] A

• Afghanistan: 18
• Albania: 18
• Algeria: 18
• American Samoa: 18
• Andorra: 18
• Angola: 18
• Anguilla: 18
• Antigua and Barbuda: 18
• Argentina: 18
• Armenia: 18
• Aruba: 18
• Australia: 18
• Austria: 18 (16 for municipal elections in the states of Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, Styria and Vienna [5/9] and for state elections in the states of Burgenland, Salzburg and Vienna [3/9])
• Azerbaijan: 18

[edit] B

• Bahamas: 18
• Bahrain: 18
• Bangladesh: 18
• Barbados: 18
• Belarus: 18
• Belgium: 18
• Belize: 18
• Benin: 18
• Bermuda: 18
• Bhutan: each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law
• Bolivia: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: 18
• Botswana: 18
• Brazil: 16 (mandatory suffrage from 18 to 70, military conscripts do not vote)
• British Virgin Islands: 18
• Brunei: no suffrage
• Bulgaria: 18
• Burkina Faso: 18
• Burundi: 18

[edit] C

• Cambodia: 18
• Cameroon: 20
• Canada: 18
• Cape Verde: 18
• Cayman Islands: 18
• Central African Republic: 21
• Chad: 18
• Chile: 18
• China, People's Republic of: 18
• Colombia: 18
• Comoros: 18
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the: 18
• Congo, Republic of the: 18
• Cook Islands: 18
• Costa Rica: 18
• Cote d'Ivoire: 18
• Croatia: 18 (16 if employed)
• Cuba: 16
• Cyprus: 18
• Czech republic: 18

[edit] D

• Denmark: 18
• Djibouti: 18
• Dominica: 18
• Dominican Republic: 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age (members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote)

[edit] E

• East Timor: 17
• Ecuador: 18
• Egypt: 18
• El Salvador: 18
• Equatorial Guinea: 18
• Eritrea: 18
• Estonia: 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
• Ethiopia: 18
• European Union: 18

[edit] F

• Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas): 18
• Faroe Islands: 18
• Fiji: 21
• Finland: 18
• France: 18
• French Guiana: 18
• French Polynesia: 18

[edit] G

• Gabon: 21
• Gambia: 18
• Georgia: 18
• Germany: 18 (16 for municipal elections in the states of Berlin, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein [6/16])
• Ghana: 18
• Gibraltar: 18 years of age; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more
• Greece: 18
• Greenland: 18
• Grenada: 18
• Guadeloupe: 18
• Guam: 18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
• Guatemala: 18 years of age; universal (active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day)
• Guernsey: 18
• Guinea: 18
• Guinea-Bissau: 18
• Guyana: 18

[edit] H

• Haiti: 18
• Holy See (Vatican City): limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
• Honduras: 18
• Hong Kong: direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 200,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
• Hungary: 18

[edit] I

• Iceland: 18
• India: 18
• Indonesia: 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
• Iran: 15 (Youngest of any country)
• Iraq: formerly 18 years of age; universal
• Ireland: 18
• Isle of Man: 16 (changed from 18 in 2006)
• Italy: 18; 25 to elect the Senate

[edit] J

• Jamaica: 18
• Japan: 20
• Jersey: universal adult
• Jordan: 18

[edit] K

• Kazakhstan: 18
• Kenya: 18
• Kiribati: 18
• Korea, North: 17
• Korea, South: 19
• Kuwait: adult males who are not in the military forces, and adult females (as of 16 May 2005); all voters must have been citizens for 20 years
• Kyrgyzstan: 18

[edit] L

• Laos: 18
• Latvia: 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
• Lebanon: 21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
• Lesotho: 18
• Liberia: 18
• Libya: 18
• Liechtenstein: 18
• Lithuania: 18
• Luxembourg: 18

[edit] M

• Macau: direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
• Republic of Macedonia: 18
• Madagascar: 18
• Malawi: 18
• Malaysia: 21
• Maldives: 21
• Mali: 18
• Malta: 18
• Marshall Islands: 18
• Martinique: 18
• Mauritania: 18
• Mauritius: 18
• Mayotte: 18
• Mexico: 18
• Micronesia, Federated States of: 18
• Moldova: 18
• Monaco: 18
• Mongolia: 18
• Montserrat: 18
• Morocco: 18
• Mozambique: 18
• Myanmar (Burma): 18

[edit] N

• Namibia: 18
• Nauru: 20
• Nepal: 18
• Netherlands: 18
• Netherlands Antilles: 18
• New Caledonia: 18
• New Zealand: 18
• Nicaragua: 16
• Niger: 18
• Nigeria: 18
• Niue: 18
• Norfolk Island: 18
• Northern Mariana Islands: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
• Norway: 18

[edit] O

• Oman: in Oman's most recent Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003, suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura elections are scheduled for 2007

[edit] P

• Pakistan: 18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
• Palau: 18
• Panama: 18
• Papua New Guinea: 18
• Paraguay: 18
• Peru: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; (members of the military and national police may not vote)
• Philippines: 18 (increased from 15 years in 1987)
• Pitcairn Islands: 18 years of age; universal with three years residency
• Poland: 18
• Portugal: 18
• Puerto Rico: 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

[edit] Q

• Qatar: 18

[edit] R

• Reunion: 18
• Romania: 18
• Russia: 18
• Rwanda: 18

[edit] S

• Saint Kitts and Nevis: 18
• Saint Lucia: 18
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 18
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 18
• Samoa: 21
• San Marino: 18
• Sao Tome and Principe: 18
• Saudi Arabia: adult male citizens age 21 or older (voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from February through April 2005)
• Senegal: 18
• Serbia and Montenegro: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
• Seychelles: 17
• Sierra Leone: 18
• Singapore: 21
• Slovakia: 18
• Slovenia: 18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
• Solomon Islands: 21
• Somalia: 18
• South Africa: 18
• Spain: 18
• Sri Lanka: 18
• Sudan: 17
• Suriname: 18
• Swaziland: 18
• Sweden: 18
• Switzerland: 18
• Syria: 18

[edit] T

• Taiwan (Republic of China): 20 (there is a current proposal to lower it to 18)
• Tajikistan: 18
• Tanzania: 18
• Thailand: 18
• Togo: 18
• Tokelau: 21
• Tonga: 21
• Trinidad and Tobago: 18
• Tunisia: 20
• Turkey: 18
• Turkmenistan: 18
• Turks and Caicos Islands: 18
• Tuvalu: 18

[edit] U

• Uganda: 18
• Ukraine: 18
• United Arab Emirates: no suffrage
• United Kingdom: 18
• United States: 18
• Uruguay: 18
• Uzbekistan: 25

[edit] V

• Vanuatu: 18
• Venezuela: 18
• Vietnam: 18
• Virgin Islands of the United States: 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

[edit] W

• Wallis and Futuna: 18
• Western Sahara: none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed. Will be 18 after that.

[edit] Y

• Yemen: 18

[edit] Z

• Zambia: 18
• Zimbabwe: 18

[edit] Dates at which voting age was lowered to 18 (from 21 unless indicated)

• Czechoslovakia: 1946
• United Kingdom: 1 January 1970 (Representation of the People Act 1969)
• Germany: 1970
• Canada: 1971
• United States: 1 July 1971 (Constitutional Amendment XXVI; federal voting age previously reduced by the Voting Rights Act 1970)
• Finland: 1972 (from 20)
• Sweden: 1972 (from 20)
• Ireland: 5 January 1973 (Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland)
• Australia: 1973 (New South Wales was the first state to do so, in 1970)
• France: 1974
• New Zealand: 1974
• Italy: 1975 (voting age to elect the Senate remained at 25)
• Trinidad and Tobago: 1976
• Denmark: 1978 (from 20; referendum held on 19 September)
• Seychelles: 1979
• Belgium: 1981
• India: 1989
• Switzerland: 1991 (from 20)
• Pakistan: 2002

[edit] Organizations which want the voting age lowered or removed

• ASFAR, United States
• National Youth Rights Association, United States
• Votes at 16, United Kingdom
• K.R.Ä.T.Z.Ä., Germany
• vote16.ca, Canada
• vote4future.at, Austrian National Youth Council, Austria

[edit] Political organizations that have endorsed lower voting ages

[edit] Australia

• The Australian Democrats
• The Greens
• Socialist Alliance

[edit] Austria

• Austrian Greens
• Austrian Social Democrats [1]

[edit] Canada

• New Democratic Party

[edit] Netherlands

• GreenLeft

[edit] Norway

• Liberal Party of Norway [2]

[edit] United Kingdom

• Green Party of England and Wales
• Liberal Democrats
• Scottish National Party
• Votes at 16

[edit] See also

• Age of candidacy
• Suffrage

[edit] External links

• Field Listing - Suffrage from the CIA World Factbook
• A more complete list of voting ages around the world (in German)
• Youth Suffrage Resources
• NYRA's Voting Age Info Dump