Ages of majority and license by country (Ajax)
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Worldwide, the various ages at which persons are considered to be officially adults for different purposes can vary widely.
Age of political majority
Political majority refers to the ages at which persons become able to participate in political and civil life, whether that is in exercising whatever level of sufferage is open to the country's citizenry, holding public or elected office, or engaging in national service.
Voting age
The worldwide voting age varies by country. The age is usually between 16 and 21. In some countries, the voting age may differ by state or the type of vote.
Nation | Voting age | Details |
---|---|---|
Draakur | 20 | All natural-born or naturalized persons (excluding felons) in South Ottonia over the age of 20 are permitted to vote in elections for the Diet and for lower-polity elections. |
Erishlands | 17, 21 | All Erish citizens at least 17 years old can vote in elections for the People’s Assembly. Those at least 21 years old can also vote in elections for the National Convention. These ages were lowered from 21 and 25 respectively in 1971. State legislatures generally follow similar limits for voting age. |
Gelonia | 16 | |
Ghant | 16 | Lowered from 21 to 18 in 1970, and from 18 to 16 in 2010. |
Kayahallpa | None | The right to elect ones Local Councillor(s) is granted upon completing the Kayahallpan initiation ceremonies and receiving the blessing of an Elder, which typically takes place at age 15. Persons without an Elder's blessing do not have voting rights. |
Latium | 17 | Before 1961, the only requirements for voter eligibility were to be a land-owning, male citizen of Latium with no restrictions or mentions of age. Under the Voting Rights Edict of 1961, all Latin citizens, not felons, and even qualifying Belisarian citizens are eligible to vote in national and local elections. |
Mniohuta | 16 | Much like the age of maturity, the age of voting is 16 in Mniohuta as per traditional cultural practices and tribal law. Depending on the age at which they were naturalised, there are certain instances where naturalised citizens may only vote after the age of 18 to ensure familiarity with the Mniohutan democratic process. Felons are typically allowed to vote even while imprisoned, though those awaiting execution are typically not afforded this right. |
Ottonia | 16/20 | All Class B & Class A citizens are permitted to vote from the time they pass the Basic Civics Assessment. Citizenship exams can be taken beginning at the age of 16, making this functionally the voting age in North Ottonia. If a person opts against taking the BCA, they are permitted to vote in municipal and prefectural-level elections beginning at the age of 20. |
Sante Reze | 15 | Land-owners were granted voting rights since 1502 under the Ecclesiastical Republic, which inherently included Church leaders and merchant guilds, as well as the nobility. When the Noble Republic was established in 1702, the voting rights were granted to all titled adults, where the age of adulthood was considered fifteen - this barred commons from voting even if they owned land. In 18xx, universal suffrage was enacted for all adults. |
Sydalon | 20 | From the introduction of national elections in 1911 until 1946 only male, Catholic land or property owners were eligible to vote in elections, with limited sufferage for women in Petra. It wasn't until the Voting Rights Act of 1946 that suffrage was extended to include all female Catholics. Universal suffrage was later extended to include all citizens in 2004, though religious minorities still face difficulty at polling places. |
Talahara | 16 | Lowered from 20 to 16 in 1895 to match the minimum working age. |
Tyreseia | 16 | Lowered from 20 in 1970, further lowered from 18 in 1993. |
Uluujol | 18 | Although Uluujol's elections are of little consequence, natural-born and naturalized citizens aged 18 and older are permitted to participate in them. |
Vannois | 17 | As of the 2002 Voting Rights Act Amendment, lowered from 20. |
Vardana | 18 | The Constitution of Vardana calls for universal suffrage for all citizens over the age of 18. |
Yisrael | 21 | Set from the 1954 Vote Franchise Act; lowered from 23 before 1954. |
Eligibility for public office
While the requirements to hold public or government office often vary depending on the job, many countries set a minimum age at which a person becomes eligible to hold public office, regardless of the other qualifications called for by specific jobs or duties.
Nation | Minimum Age for Public Office | Details |
---|---|---|
Ottonia | To hold any public office in the Federation, a person must be at least 20 years of age; certain high positions, such as Premier of the FOR, have higher age limits. Additionally, for all public and elected offices above the municipal level, a person must have passed the Basic Civics Assessment, and for all federal offices they must have passed the Advanced Civics Assessment. |
National service and conscription
Many countries operate a system of national service, often including military service, for which persons may either volunteer or be conscripted. These are the minimum (and maximum) ages at which a person may volunteer or be conscripted for national service, if such systems exist in the relevant country.
Nation | Minimum Age to Volunteer | Maximum Age to Volunteer | Minimum Age to be Conscripted | Maximum Age to be Conscripted | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottonia | Ages for enlistment or conscription into the Service Corps and Guard Corps are represented by the first two values respectively, while the same values for the OFDS are represented by the third value. In peacetime, conscription does not take place for the OFDS, and conscription is only used to make up recruitment shortfalls into the Service Corps and Guard Corps. |
Ages of consent and responsibility
The following age milestones denote when a person is considered to be legally an adult for the purposes of making their own decisions socially and legally.
Age of legal adulthood and responsibility
This denotes the age at which a person is considered, for the purposes of the legal system, to be legally responsible for their own actions, in matters of criminal and civil liability, as well as their ability to enter into contracts and binding agreements without the assent of a parent or guardian. In regards to criminal responsibility and civil liability, while statutes or laws may either establish a presumption of non-liability or non-responsibility for those under a certain age, this can at times conflict with precedents by which minors have been found to be responsible for crimes or held liable in civil matters.
Country | Criminal | Civil | Legal Capability | Details | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
De Jure | De Facto | De Jure | De Facto | De Jure | De Facto | ||
Ottonia | Under Ottonian statutes, persons under the age of 20 are not considered adults, and cannot be tried as such or found civilly liable in the same way that adults can be. Moreover, contracts signed with persons under the age of 20 are considered to be made from a position of unequal power and are handled differently than contracts signed with those over that age. |
Working age
This denotes the age at which a person can legally enter the workforce, either part-time or full-time, without incurring legal penalties.
Age of consent
Age of consent indicates the age at which a person can consent to sexual activity and/or marriage.
Ages of intoxication
This indicates the age or ages at which a person is considered an adult for the purposes of consuming intoxicating or controlled substances in daily life.
School leaving age
The age at which a person is allowed to end their involvement in (compulsory) public education.
School leaving age higher Employment age higher Both ages synchronized Age[s] vary by province No information or No age set | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Country | De jure | Years of Nonmandatory Schooling | As of | Details | |
Minimum School Leaving Age | End of Secondary School | |||||
Ghant | 1873 | Since education varies from province to province, there is wide variance in this area. Generally speaking, there are no restrictions on working part-time, while full-time employment can be gained when one is out of school. | ||||
Latium | 1977 | Until 1977, the leaving age and employment age were each set at 14. It wasn't until the enactment of Education Reform and Improvement Act that both categories were raised to 17. This, however, does not create a prohibition on employment of minors, only requires those over the age of 17 to complete their secondary education, enter full-time employment, or enlist in the Latin Armed Forces. There is no requirement to obtain a post-secondary or tertiary degree, though many individuals do. | ||||
Lyncanestria | 1986 | Until 1986, leaving age and employment age were both set at 15; the school leaving age was raised to 17 on the federal level with the School and Education Reform Act. Employment for children at 15 is confined to part-time work with eligibility for full-time employment acquired upon reaching 17, the age of majority. *States are still able to set a higher age in their jurisdiction. | ||||
Ottonia | 1950 | Because persons are considered to reach partial majority at 16 in Ottonia, the compulsory phase of schooling ends at 16. Secondary school continues until the age of 20; students who do not have a specific reason to leave education are strongly encouraged to complete Standard Education, and there are penalties for failing to do so, including an increased chance of being conscripted into either the Federal Guard or Service Corps.
Children between the ages of 13 and 16 can be employed in a business owned by their family for no more than 10 hours per week. At 16, a youth can seek part-time employment (no more than 20 hours per week) outside of a family business; they can apply for an exemption for full-time employment if they have terminated their schooling. | ||||
Sydalon | 1921 | Compulsory education is enforced from the age of 6, with school leaving age set at 18. | ||||
Vannois | 17 |
1980 | Education is regulated by the Imperial Government, and as such these ages are status for all Vannois. | |||
Velikoslavia | 1965 | Velikoslavia has a nationally unified education system with both school leaving age and working age set to 16. Pupils who leave at 16 may take an apptitude test to graduate early. Velikoslavia offers reduced to free secondary school that pupils may remain in until 19 which allows them to gain significant credit towards a university degree. |