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Vooruit party proposes lowering voting age to 16 in local elections

14:20 16/04/2023

Flemish political party Vooruit has proposed lowering the voting age to 16 in local elections. The proposal was tabled last week in the Flemish parliament.

The proposed decree will be discussed in committee over the coming weeks with, if approved, the aim of applying the measure during the upcoming municipal elections in October 2024.

Vooruit MP Kurt De Loor said that allowing 16-year-olds to vote for municipal and provincial councils would give them a chance to participate in political life.

“Many political decisions also have a major impact on our young people: they cycle to school, take the bus, play sports in the local gym or go to camp with their youth movement,” he said. “So it is normal to let their voices be heard.”

The chamber had already decided last year that 16-year-olds could vote in the European elections of 2024.

Written by Paul Millar