Universal Suffrage Act 2020

Universal Suffrage Act 2020
Created	19 August 2020
Ratified	08 October 2020
Location	Dunhallow, Kohlandia
Authors	Catherine I
Signers	The Kohlandian Parliament
Purpose	Reduction of age of eligibility to vote and stand in elections to 14

The Universal Suffrage Act 2020 is an Act of Parliament in the Kingdom of Kohlandia which grants a number of rights to Kohlandians as young as fourteen years old; including but not limited to the ability to stand for elected office and also vote in elections. It is the first Kohlandian legislation to alter the Constitution.

History

The Act was first introduced to the Kohlandian Parliament by HM Queen Catherine I on the 19th of August, 2020. The purpose of the Bill, when introduced, was to remove all age requirements entirely from voting and standing for election. In the preamble, HM The Queen stated her reasons for introducing the Bill as, "Kohlandia is an experimental nation that is always seeking to discover how various aspects of social and political life are affected by laws, and by emerging culture. Kohlandia should therefore embrace this experimental nature and expand the political franchise to all citizens, of any age."

The Prime Minister, Crown Princess Elizabeth, voted against the Bill as it stood. She stated that, "Fourteen is the age when children become aware of the political side of things and should be trusted to have a say". The Prime Minister then introduced an amendment to reduce the age limits in legislation to 14 rather than removing them outright. This amendment was then further amended by HM The Queen to expressly protect age of consent laws within Kohlandia; in order to remove any potential for confusion in that regard.

The Amendment was passed with 2 votes for, zero against and 1 abstention. The amended Bill was then passed with 2 votes for and zero against. It received Royal Assent on 8 October 2020, becoming law.

External links

• Full text of the Act