MONS, BELGIUM: Belgium’s participation in the EU elections in June will see a surge in Generation Z engagement. Thanks to a new law, 16- and 17-year-olds will now have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote for the first time.
This development has spurred UCLouvain, a prominent Belgian university, to organize a mock election on Wednesday. This event aims to familiarize hundreds of high school teens with the voting process and empower them to make informed decisions when they participate in the upcoming elections.
Dozens of young voters participated in a simulation, filling out and submitting voting slips outside lecture halls at UCLouvain campuses while political science professors explained the principles and processes involved to hundreds of pupils.
Stephane Moyson, one of the professors at UCLouvain’s campus in the southern city of Mons, noted that the simulation revealed a lack of understanding regarding voting rules, as there were several invalid votes casted.
Belgium’s electorate is set to expand by nearly 300,000 under a 2022 law allowing 16- and 17-year-old Belgians to vote in the European elections without conditions. Similarly, aged teens from other EU countries residing in Belgium can also vote if they register on electoral rolls before the end of next month.
This move aligns Belgium with Austria, Germany, Greece, and Malta in allowing under-18s to vote in EU elections, though the minimum voting age for national elections remains 18. Belgium will host both the EU and federal elections on June 9, coinciding with the European Union’s election period between June 6 and 9.
The simulated vote held on three UCLouvain campuses provided no insights into Belgian teen preferences in the EU elections as the candidates and parties on the ballots were fictional. However, the importance of social media, particularly TikTok, as a political information source was evident.
Manon Leclercq, 16, expressed her likelihood of turning to social media to explore different political ideas before voting, citing TikTok as a primary platform for political content.
Amine El Bakkouri, 17, emphasized his reliance on social media, particularly TikTok, as a vital source of information. He noted its dynamism and comprehensiveness compared to traditional media.
TikTok, alongside platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, has faced increased scrutiny and regulation under the Digital Services Act, aimed at curbing illegal content. TikTok announced efforts to combat misinformation and covert influence operations ahead of the European elections by bolstering content moderation and deterrence measures. –AFP/APP
