"Get a better hearing": Family Minister Paus wants the right to vote from June 16

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas brought the topic up, and now Family Minister Lisa Paus is following suit: In future, young people in Germany should be able to vote on the Bundestag from the age of 16.

"Get a better hearing": Family Minister Paus wants the right to vote from June 16

Bundestag President Bärbel Bas brought the topic up, and now Family Minister Lisa Paus is following suit: In future, young people in Germany should be able to vote on the Bundestag from the age of 16. The interests of the younger generation must be "considered from the start," says the minister.

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus has spoken out in favor of a voting age of 16 in federal elections. "The voting age should also be lowered to 16 in the Bundestag elections, so that the interests and needs of the younger generation are fundamentally taken into account and taken into account in political decisions right from the start," said Paus of the Funke media group.

"The voting age of 16 in the European elections is an important signal, but we shouldn't stop there," she said. Paus said Corona and the Ukraine war had left particularly strong marks on children and young people. "We are seeing an increase in eating disorders, depression and other mental illnesses." During the pandemic, children and young people showed solidarity with their parents and grandparents - and were all too often left alone with the consequences. "They have the impression that society isn't really interested in their situation," said Paus. "That's why I urgently want to give young people a better voice."

Only a few days ago, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas called for the voting age to be lowered from 18 to 16 - as is already the case in many local and state elections and the European elections. The fact that the voting age of 18 still applies to the Bundestag is incomprehensible, said Bas. The likelihood that someone will vote later increases if they were allowed to vote at a young age during their school days. Studies have shown that.

In November, the Bundestag decided to lower the minimum voting age for European elections from 18 to 16. The new regulation is to be applied for the first time in the elections to the EU Parliament planned for May 2024.