In October 2017, during the local government council elections, 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote for the first time. Such a significant expansion of voting rights has so far been implemented by only a few European countries. This change helps to involve minors more actively in societal life, but lowering the voting age also comes with certain risks.
School-aged children and young people spend a significant portion of their day at school. During this time, they are largely influenced by school staff, their beliefs, and behaviour. Considering that many school leaders and employees are members of political parties or electoral alliances and may run in elections, it is important to ensure that all school staff adhere to the principle of neutrality in schools. School employees must not impose their political beliefs on students, but this does not mean that there is no place for politics in schools. Schools should provide a balanced understanding of ideologies and political perspectives.
It is commendable when schools introduce students to elections and organize debates, information sessions, and discussions before voting. However, care must be taken to ensure that no particular ideology, party, or candidate is favoured. Instead, different viewpoints should be presented. School-organized events must be actively managed and open to various political parties, electoral alliances, and independent candidates. Equally important is the focus on substantive issues, platforms, and ideological differences during these discussions. Schools are responsible for events they organize, meaning they can limit political campaigning, distribution of promotional materials, recruitment of new members, and similar activities.
To outline these principles and provide guidance for educational institution leaders on organizing election-related activities and ensuring neutrality, the Chancellor of Justice assisted the Ministry of Education and Research in drafting a set of guidelines. In situations where legislation is absent or no widely accepted practice exists, such guidelines can help school leaders confidently organize election-related events. Students, school staff, and parents can also use these guidelines if they suspect a breach of the principle of political neutrality at school.
The Young Election Watchdogs project was initiated by the Chancellor of Justice in collaboration with the Estonian National Youth Council, the Estonian School Student Councils' Union, and the Estonian Network of Nonprofit Organizations. The aim was to provide young people with political education, offer them participatory experience, and help ensure neutrality in schools. The project organizers introduced the election process to several hundred young people and explained the rules of election campaigning.
During the weeks leading up to the elections, young election watchdogs, who had undergone training, monitored schools to ensure adherence to the principle of neutrality and reported any violations to local governments, the Ministry of Education and Research, the National Electoral Committee, and the Chancellor of Justice. Young people also participated as observers and polling station committee members during the elections. We commend local governments that were willing to include minors in polling station committees, as this helped foster trust in state authority and, hopefully, increased young people's interest in societal affairs.
