Voting age 16+ in Germany and Austria: impact on election results and party campaign issues in the European elections

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of lowering the voting age to 16 on electoral outcomes and campaign issues in the European elections in Austria (2009) and Germany (2024). A qualitative analysis examined party communication in print media (2009) and on TikTok (2024). The FPÖ and die Grünen in Austria and the AfD and BSW in Germany made significant gains among first-time voters by clearly addressing issues relevant to young people and using channels relevant to them. In contrast, parties that addressed these issues only superficially or not at all were less successful among first-time voters.