The Storting says no to voting rights for 16-year-olds – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

On Wednesday, the Storting considered the bill from the Liberal Party to give 16-year-olds the right to vote. In advance, the proposal had received support from Raudt, SV, the Labor Party and MDG. But when the case was up for voting, 78 voted in favor of the proposal and 88 no. When the proposal was discussed in the Control and Constitution Committee in the Storting a week ago, the majority came up with a recommendation to open up so that 16- and 17-year-olds can also have the right to vote. But the proposal did not get a majority in the Storting. Trial project Sveinung Rotevatn (V) was one of those behind the proposal. In the Storting, he pointed out that this was not the first time they had discussed the issue. Already when he was the new representative in 2013, there was a proposal on the table. At that time, pilot projects were started in several municipalities with the right to vote for 16- and 17-year-olds. – And all these pilot projects have shown positive results. We saw that there was a high turnout in the group, they voted “normally” and more young people joined the municipal council, Rotevatn said from the rostrum. He receives support from party colleague Alfred Jens Bjørlo, who himself has our mayor in a municipality that has had a pilot project. – I think time is working for this case. It is a matter of time before there is a majority for this. I wish it was now, he said. The argument for giving 16-year-olds the right to vote is that they should be able to participate in deciding how municipalities should be governed. They also believe that this can contribute to increasing turnout in local elections, which are somewhat lower than the elections to the Storting. While parties that are skeptical of the proposal, among other things, have emphasized that the voting age should be equal to the age when you come of age, ie 18 years. Politicians have been debating voting rights for 16-year-olds for several years. There have also been pilot projects in some municipalities in recent local elections. But on Wednesday, the Storting decided whether this should apply to the whole country.



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