Voting age

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

Contents

Voting ages around the world

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, Styria and Vienna [4/9])
Azerbaijan: 18

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: universal
Burundi: universal adult

C

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)

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

F

G

Gabon: 21
Gambia: 18
Georgia: 18
Germany: 18 (16 for municipal elections in the states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein [5/16])
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

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

I

Iceland: 18
India: 18
Indonesia: 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
Iran: 15
Iraq: formerly 18 years of age; universal
Ireland: 18
Isle of Man: 16 (recently changed from 18; still to be ratified by the Legislative Council and the Lord of Mann)
Italy: 18; 25 to elect the Senate

J

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

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

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

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
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

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

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

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

Q

Qatar: 18

R

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

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

T

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

U

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

W

Wallis and Futuna: 18
Western Sahara: none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed

Y

Yemen: 18

Z

Zambia: 18
Zimbabwe: 18

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)
Denmark: 1978 (from 20; referendum held on 19 September)
Seychelles: 1979
Belgium: 1981
India: 1989
Switzerland: 1991 (from 20)
Pakistan: 2002

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

Political organizations that have endorsed lower voting ages

Australia

Austria

Austrian Greens
Austrian Social Democrats [link]

Canada

New Democratic Party

Norway

Liberal Party of Norway [link]

United Kingdom

External links

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