Voting age facts for kids

Voting age is the age when people are allowed to vote in elections. This means they can choose their leaders and help decide how their country is run. Most countries let people vote when they are 18 years old. But some countries have different ages, like 16 or 21.

What is Voting Age?

The voting age is the minimum age a person must be to cast a ballot in a public election. This right to vote is also called suffrage. When you reach the voting age, you can help choose who represents you in the government. This is an important part of how a country works.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Vote?

Most countries around the world have set the voting age at 18 years old. This is the most common age for people to gain the right to vote. However, some places have different rules. For example, in some countries, you might need to be 21 years old to vote. In a few places, like Austria and the Isle of Man, people can vote when they are 16 years old.

In recent history, Iran was the only country to have a voting age below 16. For a time, their voting age was 15, but it has since been changed to 18.

Why Did the Voting Age Change Over Time?

When the idea of a voting age first started, it was usually set at 21 years old. This was seen as the age when people were mature enough to make important decisions.

However, in the second half of the 1900s, many countries began to lower the voting age to 18. This change happened in places like the United States. One big reason for this was that if young people were old enough to join the military and fight for their country, they should also be old enough to vote for their leaders. Many believed that if you were old enough to serve, you were old enough to vote.

Images for kids

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  Demonstration in favor of lowering the voting age by members of NYRA in Berkeley, California (2004)

See also

In Spanish: Edad para votar para niños