Den önskvärda väljaren - Om frågan att sänka rösträttsåldern till 16 år

Sammanfattning: This thesis aims to produce a discourse analysis, inspired by theorists Ernesto Laclau & Chantal Mouffe, of the debate in written media between 2005 and 2015 on lowering the voting age in Sweden to 16 years. Influenced by Barbara Cruikshank’s ideas of the citizen-subject, the author asks two questions; how a differential chain of equivalence can be used to explain the discursive construction of the citizen-subject; and what discursive obstacles are preventing a lowering of the voting age to 16 years? The thesis concludes that there is a series of generally considered criteria, either connected to individual ideals of maturity or collective ideals of political involvement. The two ideals take the role as master signifiers and are articulated through several other signifiers, which articulates maturity to responsibility, knowledge and an intellectual development. The master signifier of politically involved is articulated to political interest and political organization. The thesis also suggests that groups on the verge of being accepted as voters will be put under higher demands than what is otherwise required of those already qualified to vote, due to the influence that those who are already qualified have on the discourse.