In the Norwegian local elections of 2011, a trial was held in which the voting age was lowered from 18 to 16 in 20 selected municipalities (and in the self-governed area of Longyearbyen). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the trial and to discuss two main issues: 1) Why was voter turnout among 16- and 17-year-olds so high? 2) Why did turnout vary substantially between municipalities? The results are discussed in light of political socialization theory and Mark Franklin’s findings regarding cohort-effects and the voting age. We find that turnout is especially high among the cohorts that are high school students, and that mobilization efforts directed at young voters had a positive effect. Furthermore, the terror attacks in Oslo and at Utøya in the summer of 2011 had a mobilizing effect on young voters.
