Could opening the right to vote to sixteen-year-olds be the solution to reconcile young people with the ballot box? The question remains tirelessly asked after each election, as abstention figures detail far too high rates on the 18-35 age group. In France, at the last municipal elections, more than 70% of them did not make the trip to express their voice.

However, as Céline Braconnier, professor and specialist in abstention, explains in this podcast, there is a democratic issue in reconciling young people with the ballot box. "The less young people vote, the less interest candidates have in offering offers that are aimed in particular at younger generations," she explains. "We end up with decision-makers who are elected by a population much older than the potential electoral population, and who leave aside the major issues that concern young people," targeting the ecological transition as a priority.

Recreating a voting habit

Also, one of the solutions to reconcile young people with the ballot box, advanced in the debates on the subject, remains the opening of the right to vote to 16-year-olds. The proposal also figured prominently among the 325 proposals adopted in April 2022 by the "Conference on the Future of Europe", led by French President Emmanuel Macron. It urged European countries to give 16-year-olds the opportunity to vote in European elections.

A solution also defended by Céline Braconnier for several reasons. First, she believes it is important to recreate a voting habit. The abstention of young people can be explained by several factors, but one of them is a generational break. "Today, young people do not feel guilty about abstaining," says the political science professor.

Also, according to her, it would be urgent to recreate a sense of civic responsibility and habit of voting from an early age. "The habit of voting, when it is taken very early, and the youngest then vote three or four times in a row, we know that they will become more consistent voters afterwards," she explains as a first argument.

Civic education at school as the main project

However, at first glance, the solution seems paradoxical. "Today, if we opened the right to vote to sixteen-year-olds without rethinking the role of school, we would risk increasing abstention, quite simply." Thus, it is the whole role of the school in civics that it is necessary to rethink according to her.

How do you know if you are registered on an electoral list, which polling station is allocated to you? So many practical questions whose answers are now unknown by a significant number of young people and that the school should put back at the heart of its civic learning, according to Céline Braconnier. A simple solution to implement: "the introduction of a two-day module" in the school curriculum, proposes Céline Braconnier.

But the researcher remains pessimistic. "Today there is a taboo on politics in schools. In a duty of neutrality, teachers remain reluctant to talk politics in class, "she believes while also pointing out the reservations of the Ministry of National Education to open the debate in schools.

For the moment no experiment of voting at 16 years is planned in France in the run-up to the European elections, regrets Céline Braconnier, even though these elections would be "a good framework for experimentation". "There is a debate to be had on how to proceed because there is no better than an experiment to see what would happen."

Butterfly Minute! is 20 Minutes' news podcast, available on all listening platforms and apps and on 20minutes.fr's podcast platform. We talk about news, but also behind the scenes of our media.

If you liked this episode, do not hesitate to share it on social networks and talk about it around you. You can subscribe to this podcast for free on your favorite listening platform or app. For a suggestion, a comment, a criticism, write to us at: audio@20minutes.fr.

  • Podcast
  • 20 Minutes Podcast
  • Butterfly Minute
  • Vote
  • Elections
  • European elections
  • Youths
  • Education
  • Politics
  • Debate