Ten years ago, we amended the Constitution. Do you remember why? It was so that 16–18-year-olds could participate in the 2017 local government council elections. This year marks the third time that this age group is eligible to vote in local elections.

Yet voter turnout among young people remains modest. It's true that in the previous local elections, 16- and 17-year-olds had a higher turnout than, say, 18–24-year-olds. But that was likely because voting for the first time is something of a rite of passage on the road to becoming an adult citizen — more so than a genuine, informed engagement in political processes.

In the 2017 local elections, only 28 percent of those up to age 24 voted. In the most recent elections, in 2021, turnout was 7 percentage points higher. But putting the numbers aside, the bottom line is that elections don't resonate with young people and politicians aren't speaking to them.

But really — who or what are they supposed to vote for?

No tailor-made solutions for young people

For whatever reasons, this year's election campaign in small towns and boroughs has been more subdued than in previous years. That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, but even in its limited form, it lacks informational value. On social media, memes are circulating that mock roadside campaign posters as "job ads" featuring politicians' faces — except no one is saying what they're actually qualified to do.

And they really don't. The posters are mostly a parade of nearly identical headshots — some more airbrushed than others — paired with vague slogans like "We deliver" or "Making life better."

These uninspired campaigns speak even less to young people, who lack prior personal experience or knowledge of the candidates or local politics. It seems politicians at the local level simply don't have the budget to tailor their messaging to different voter groups. So everyone gets the same generic slogan, the same poster or a leaflet in the mailbox.

Young people, especially those under 18, are simply too few in number (even if there are over 20,000 across Estonia) to justify crafting separate campaign messages or dedicating time to engage them. As a result, politicians have no real promises or political "product" to offer that would attract young voters. And yet, it's precisely at the local level where such promises could actually be made.

Some time ago, during a school visit, I asked students what kinds of political promises would appeal to them. The most common answer was school meals. They'd like the food to be more diverse, tastier and more modern. By modern, they meant more plant-based options, including vegan dishes.

Equally important to them were issues like better coordination of school bus and public transport schedules and cleaner buses. They also want a place where they can simply be — some warm space where they can spend time together that isn't pay-to-enter. Given how many of our public service buildings are increasingly standing empty, it shouldn't be impossible to find such a space for young people.

They'd also like more sports options beyond just volleyball. This kind of wish is especially common in rural areas. Of course, organizing extracurricular programs in sparsely populated regions is more difficult, but maybe it's exactly the kind of challenge a local-level politician could take on — rather than tossing around grand promises tied to national politics.

Another issue raised was the burden of carrying schoolbooks. One young man put it quite pointedly: "It's the 21st century and we still don't have the money for a second set of textbooks at school. I carry all my books on my back every day — coming from 12 kilometers away."

Who cares about the car tax?

Talk of a car tax, or scrapping it, leaves schoolkids mostly indifferent. They can't even afford to get a driver's license, let alone buy a car or worry about paying taxes on it.

But all of these other wishes are achievable. They don't require million-euro investments and could easily be implemented at the local level. Even something like the car tax could actually become relevant to young people if, for example, schools offered free or low-cost driving courses. In fact, there are already some municipalities where schools do just that — so yes, it is possible.

Why did we amend the Constitution ten years ago if politicians don't actually care about the new group of voters it brought in? Young people's disinterest in elections isn't "laziness" — it's a signal that the political marketplace isn't offering them a product worth "paying for" with their vote.

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