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00:00Voting can also be learned in the classroom.
00:04At this school, civics lessons are given to all 16-year-olds
00:08who will be taking part in the European elections for the first time.
00:12The aim of the course is to help them understand what is at stake in the elections.
00:17It's exciting and it's your first time. A lot is at stake.
00:21It's great that we have the right to take part in this election.
00:25It gives me the feeling that I can make a difference,
00:27whereas usually it's the older people who decide.
00:32At 16 you can work, you can leave home if you want to,
00:35so the least you can do is also decide your political future.
00:40What does a ballot paper look like? What is the European Parliament for?
00:45For these pupils, the campaign has so far taken place on social networks,
00:50where the far right is particularly aggressive.
00:54It's very unusual to see all these parties taking to social media in recent times,
00:59but it's true that the far right AfD party is everywhere online
01:03and they really know what buttons to press.
01:08The course is not necessarily designed to encourage them to vote, that's their decision,
01:13but we aim to give them the tools to analyse and filter everything.
01:20By lowering the voting age from 18 to 16, Germany gains 1 million first-time voters compared to 2019.
01:27It's an important pool of voters and explains the increasing number of events aimed at young people,
01:33as this minister and European Commission representative notes,
01:37particularly as Germany and the other four countries that allow people to vote from the age of 16
01:42could pave the way for others.
01:44If lowering the voting age is a success in Germany,
01:47and it shows that young voters are really getting involved and using their ballots,
01:51then it could perhaps inspire others in the EU.
01:55Over 5,000 German schools are currently offering courses for first-time voters.
02:00Mock elections are scheduled the week before the actual European polls open in early June.