On this page

1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

The official statistics of the Estonian National Electoral Committee on voter turnout are not available by age group, except for e-voting statistics. Youth turnout is therefore described primarily on the basis of surveys, studies and e-voting statistics.

Survey-based evidence consistently shows that young people are the least active voters in Estonia. According to the study by Deželan in 2015 „Young people and democratic life in Europe: what next after the 2014 European elections?”, voter absenteeism in the 2014 EU parliamentary elections among 18–24-year-olds in Estonia was 87.5%, compared to a national average of 60.0% and an EU average of 56.9%. In national parliamentary elections, absenteeism among the same age group was 62.5%, compared to 32.8% nationally and 33.6% across the EU. Deželan concludes that the gap between young and older voters has widened considerably across the democratic world, including in Estonia. Flash Eurobarometer 375 “European Youth: Participation in Democratic Life” published in 2015 found that 44% of Estonian respondents aged 15–30 had voted in a political election in the previous three years, below the EU average of 56% and an 18-percentage-point decrease from 2011.

More recent evidence confirms that low youth turnout remains a concern. The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2022), which assessed how 8th-grade students in participating countries are prepared to act as citizens, found that Estonian students scored among the highest internationally in civic knowledge (545 points, ranking third alongside Poland), yet demonstrated comparatively low levels of expected electoral participation (IEA 2022 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2022) Estonia Results, 2023). A qualitative persona study of first-time voters aged 16–19 commissioned by the foundation Liberaalne Kodanik (SALK) and carried out by the Centre for Applied Anthropology (RAK) in 2021 found that, while most young first-time voters intended to vote, many felt anxious about the process and lacked clear guidance on how voting works. The study identified five distinct voter personas among first-time voters, ranging from highly informed young people with refined political views to those whose knowledge of politics was limited to major scandals. Parents, teachers and, to some extent, youth workers were the strongest influences on young people's political awareness; the role of peers was surprisingly small. The study recommended providing simple, accessible instructions on the voting process and bringing political information to the channels where young people already spend their time, particularly social media. 

E-voting and young people

Estonia has been a global pioneer in internet voting (e-voting) since 2005. The share of e-voters has grown steadily: from 1.9% in 2005 to 45.8% in the 2025 local elections. In the 2023 Riigikogu elections, e-votes exceeded paper votes for the first time, with 51% of all votes cast online and overall turnout at 63.5%. Among voters aged 18–54, at least 55% chose to vote electronically. E-voting was most popular in the 25–34 age group (approximately 65%), while the 18–24 age group had a somewhat lower e-voting rate, suggesting that first-time voters may still prefer the traditional voting experience (Statistics about Internet voting in Estonia).

The table below shows the share of young e-voters across elections since 2005.

Source: Estonian National Electoral Committee. Note: 16–17-year-olds may only vote in local elections, starting 2017.

The voting age for the national parliament, the European Parliament and referendums is 18. In 2015, Parliament amended the Constitution to lower the voting age to 16 for local government elections. The first local election in which 16–17-year-olds could vote took place in October 2017. In that election, 1,794 young people aged 16–17 voted electronically, representing 0.9% of e-voters in the age group. By the 2021 local elections, their share had nearly doubled to 1.5%, indicating a positive trend.

Persons convicted by a court and serving a prison sentence cannot vote.

Young people as political representatives

Most political parties in Estonia have a youth wing, either as a substructure of the party or as a separate organisation. Youth wings have limited autonomy, as budgetary and policy decisions are largely determined by the party. Under the Non-profit Associations Act (1996), a minor aged at least 15 may join a youth association that complies with the Youth Work Act without the consent of a guardian, unless the articles of association provide otherwise.

The minimum age for standing as a candidate is:

• national parliament (Riigikogu): 21;
• local government council: 18;
• European parliament: 21.

The minimum age for presidential candidates is 40 (President of the Republic Election Act, 1996). There is no age limit to serve in civil service in Estonia.

There are no quotas for young people in elected bodies, nor are there special provisions to facilitate young candidates. Active members of the Defence Forces may not stand as candidates. Persons convicted and serving a prison sentence may neither vote nor stand as candidates.

In the 2023 Riigikogu elections, the overall turnout was 63.5%. In the previous 2019 elections, the youngest elected member of parliament was 25 and the average age of elected members was 49.1. Toomla’s analysis of candidate lists for parliamentary elections found that in 2003, 19% of candidates in the top 20 list positions were under 30; by 2007 and 2011, this had fallen to 7% in both years.

There are no specific functions within the parliament reserved for young members.

References

•  „Young people and democratic life in Europe: what next after the 2014 European elections?”, Deželan, T. (2015)
• Flash Eurobarometer 375 “European Youth: Participation in Democratic Life”, European Commission (2015)
• IEA 2022 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2022) Estonia Results, Tallinn University (2023)
• Persona Study on Youth Voting Behavior (Persoonauuring noorte valimiskäitumisest), The Center of Anthropology (2021)