Düsseldorf,Germany – In a historic move,the CDU,SPD,Greens,and FDP parliamentary groups in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) have jointly announced their commitment to lowering the state’s voting age to 16 for state elections. The parties intend to bring a draft law to the state parliament in the upcoming plenary week, requiring a two-thirds majority to amend the state constitution. If accomplished, 16- and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote in NRW’s next state election in 2027.
Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds in Germany can only participate in European elections. while several German states – Baden-Württemberg, brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – already allow 16-year-olds to vote in state elections, NRW presently only permits this for local elections. This latest push marks a renewed effort after previous attempts failed in 2016 and 2022.
“Young people are interested in politics, they actively shape and get involved in the public opinion formation process,” stated CDU parliamentary group leader Thorsten Schick, alongside Jochen Ott (SPD), Verena Schäffer and Wibke Brems (Greens), and Henning Hönen (FDP).
The current state parliament holds the necessary two-thirds majority – approximately 128 votes – with the CDU holding 76 mandates, SPD 56, Greens 39, FDP 12, and AfD 12. The proposed change fulfills a pledge made in the current NRW coalition agreement between the CDU and Greens. Previous roadblocks centered on disagreements within the governing parties, with past blame directed at former CDU parliamentary group leader Armin Laschet.
