Two Different Standards for Enfranchisement: A ‘Rights Standard’ for Adults and a Supposed ‘Competency Qualification Standard’ for Minors

Abstract

When it comes to age-based exclusion from suffrage, almost all Western democratic countries and most countries globally use 18 years as the demarcation point. This is accomplished by application of different standards for enfranchisement of ‘adult’ citizens versus ‘child’ citizens. More specifically, a ‘rights–standard’– is in play for adult citizens accessing the vote; while a ‘competency qualification standard’is implicitly applied regarding child citizens’ exclusion from the vote.