Abolition of compulsory voting modifies the composition of the electorate, potentially over-representing specific interests in policy implementation. Due to the age turnout gap, intergenerational redistribution may increasingly favor the elderly. We exploit a natural experiment provided by the repeal of compulsory voting in Austria to study intergenerational redistribution through pro-young public education spending. We find that the reform does not inevitably bias redistribution in favor of the elderly but rather leads to a strong polarization in education policies across municipalities according to their demography.ion through pro-young public education spending. We find that the reform does not inevitably bias redistribution in favor of the elderly but rather leads to a strong polarization in education policies across municipalities according to their demography.