
Should Teens Vote?
In planning to lower the national voting age before the next general election, Britain joins a small but growing club of nations willing to test the boundaries of electoral inclusion. Brazil, an early adopter, cut its voting age to 16 in 1988. Austria, Argentina and Malta followed suit in the 2000s. Most recently, Germany and Belgium decided to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in some elections but not others.
Places where the voting age in national elections is ...
16 years old
17
18
20
21
25
Lebanon
Austria
United States
Greece
United Arab Emirates
Taiwan
Cuba
Nicaragua
Oman
Ecuador
Sudan
Brazil
Indonesia
Cameroon
Argentina
16 years old
17
18
20
21
25
Lebanon
Austria
United States
Greece
United Arab Emirates
Taiwan
Cuba
Nicaragua
Oman
Ecuador
Sudan
Brazil
Indonesia
Cameroon
Argentina
Notes: Based on 234 countries or territories with available data. Places with no data are in gray.
Sources: C.I.A. World Factbook; ACE Electoral Knowledge Network
By The New York Times
Beneath these changes lies a fundamental question: At what age does civic responsibility begin? Today, I explain the debate and look at how it is reshaping some democracies, including America's.
Who's ready?
Legal codes are filled with age minimums. In the United States, you must be 18 to serve in the military, 21 to drink alcohol and 35 to run for president. Sometimes, these are built on easy-to-understand ideas. Alcohol, for instance, is meant only for people who are likely to drink responsibly.
The right to vote follows from the notion that governments draw their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. When can someone give that consent? Experts offer different answers to the question.
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