Online referendum begins for lowering voting age
The government has launched an online non-binding referendum to ask citizens if the voting age should be lowered. The voting is conducted on a new online platform called “Citizen Voice,” announced by President Nikos Christodoulides in February. The referendum asks whether the minimum voting age should be lowered from 18 and if so, whether it should be to 16 or 17 years old. Voting will remain open until April 7, with results announced on April 9 at the Youth Board of Cyprus’s awards ceremony. The online voting system is accessible at citizenvoice.gov.cy and is available in Greek, Turkish, and English. The voting process is designed to protect voters’ anonymity, the security of personal details, and the validity of the votes. Personal details are encrypted and automatically deleted after voting. President Christodoulides emphasized the government’s belief in participatory democracy and indicated that more online non-binding referenda are expected in the future.