Voting age reduced to 16?

Four MPs from the Social Democratic Alliance (‘Samfylkingin’) and the Left-Green Movement (‘Vinstrihreyfingin – Grænt framboð’) have moved a parliamentary bill proposing that the voting age in Iceland be reduced to sixteen.

Constitutional amendment

The bill was put before the Icelandic Parliament (‘Alþingi’) at the end of yesterday’s parliamentary session by the leaders of the two parties and MPs Kristján L. Möller and Bjarkey Ol­sen Gunnarsdóttir. The aim of the bill is to foster democratic involvement among young people in both elections and politics. The bill entails amendments to the Icelandic constitution.

Precedents abroad

Samfylkingin approved a resolution on reducing the voting age to sixteen at its party conference last weekend. Austria is the only European country so far to have fully reduced voting age to sixteen, while a number of countries in Central and South America have also done so. The referendum held in Scotland last year on the subject of leaving the United Kingdom was also open to 16 and 17-year-olds. Turnout for the referendum was very high.

Bringing young adults into politics

The text of the bill reads: “Extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds will enable them to shape their life and future in the same way as other people.

Kristján L. Möller, MP for the Social Democratic Alliance, is one of four MPs behind the bill. Photo: Ómar Óskarsson

The full text (in Icelandic) can be found here.