When young people vote in local elections

Young people today have a high level of political and societal engagement, however, a large proportion of these young people do not vote (DUF, 2020). This is partly due to a lack of confidence in their ability to influence the political system. This is a fundamental democratic challenge. It is important to focus on this issue, mainly because the decisions our elected officials make today will have consequences for the future that young people will live in.

With the establishment of the Democracy Pool – more young voters for the 2021 municipal and regional council elections, Tuborfondet will support local projects that put young people’s participation in the municipal elections on the agenda. We Do Democracy and Democracy Garage, in collaboration with the City of Copenhagen, have received a grant from the Tuborg Foundation to conduct a citizen gathering that will invite 24 young Copenhageners to discuss the city’s challenges and opportunities and develop recommendations for a good youth life in Copenhagen.

In the months leading up to the 2021 municipal elections, the 24 young people will discuss the city’s challenges and opportunities with the help of experts in sustainable urban development, democracy and the city’s future scenarios. In addition, they will also discuss the importance of youth participation in local elections. The ultimate goal of the project is to develop youth-driven recommendations that the young people themselves will present to the Lord Mayor, the Youth Council KBH and the newly constituted City Council of Copenhagen in December 2021. As a leading expert in deliberative democracy, We Do Democracy has advised Democracy Garage in adapting the citizen assembly format to the younger audience.

• A total of 90,000 e-Boks invitations have been sent out to all Copenhageners aged 16-24.
• 804 young people signed up for the draw. The 24 participants in the Young Copenhagen Citizens’ Assembly have already been selected and together they reflect Copenhagen’s young population in age, gender, ethnicity and education.

Read the young people’s final recommendations here.