Canton Aargau rejects lowering voting age to 16

Voters in the Swiss canton of Aargau have rejected a people’s initiative to lower the official age for voting from 18 to 16. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The population in the canton rejected the initiative with a majority of 79.7%, with a turnout of just under 42%, Aargau authorities said on Sunday. The initiative proposed to amend the cantonal constitution by allowing Swiss citizens over the age of 16 to vote at cantonal and municipal (local) level. In order to be elected to office, candidates would still have to have been of legal age, i.e. 18. The project was launched by a committee made of representatives from numerous young parties, with the exception of the Swiss People’s Party (right-wing). + Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote? Have your say The government, parliament and conservative parties in Aargau all rejected the initiative. They argued that the age of majority for civil and political issues should not be separated. The voting age at ...