Voting age is the minimum legal age, according to the law, at which people are allowed to cast their vote on the day of an election. Usually, the minimum age is listed in the constitution of a country which is the legal voting age.
While in some countries voting is mandatory, in some it is optional. Across different countries around the world, the age to vote varies from 16 to 25. While the minimum voting age in the world is 16 and while their is no maximum age to vote, for people who 70 and above can choose to vote or not to vote.
Before World War 11, the minimum voting age in most countries was 21, however, later, countries formed their own legal voting ages in their constitutions. Voting is a legal constitutional right that should be exercised by all the citizens of a country.
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Here are the legal voting ages in different countries.
Countries where the legal voting age is 16
Scotland, Isle of Man, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil, Austria, and Guernsey are some countries where the minimum legal age to vote is 16, although, this age has been criticised by many people owing to the fact that the youth at this age have not yet stepped into the world of career, tax, and ownership of land, and some of the major election decisions apparently rely on these three factors.
Countries where the legal voting age is 17
The countries where 17 is the minimum legal voting age include Sudan, South Sudan, North Korea, Indonesia, Greece, European Union, and East Timor. Although, the legal age to vote in Indonesia is 17, married people are expected to vote irrespective of their age.
Countries where the legal voting age is 18
18 is the legal voting age in a majority of the countries including India, Afghanistan, China, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Comoros, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Lebanon, Marshall Islands, Macedonia, Mauritania, Kenya, Mongolia, Philippines, Saint Helena, Tanzania, United States, Yemen, Zimbabwe, Japan, and Italy. In Argentina, though the voting age is 18, people are allowed to vote when they turn 16.
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Countries where the legal voting age is 19
The only country where the legal voting age is 19 is South Korea same as the legal drinking age.
Countries where the legal voting age is 20 and above
If you are 20 years old, you can vote, if you live in Nauru, Taiwan, and Bahrain. Those countries that allow people to vote when they turn 21 are Oman, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Singapore, Malaysia, Kuwait, Jersey, and Cameroon. In UAE, one can vote on turning 25 which is also the highest minimum voting age around the world.
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