Should young New Zealanders vote?

The Supreme Court of Aotearoa last month determined that, when it comes to the age from which our citizens can legally vote, "the current age of 18 discriminates against [our] young people", and that it was a breach of our young people's human rights in not having the vote (McClure, 2022). From my personal perspective, I think that lowering the voting age is a great idea. Our younger adults can drive, become apprenticed, leave school, fight for their country, have sex, become parents, and get married - with parental permission - at 16. It seems logical then they should also have the right to vote.

Kate Sheppard - the woman whom for seven years tirelessly campaigned for the wāhine of Aotearoa to get the vote (Page, 1993) - was "an independent thinker with a keen sense of social responsibility and justice. Her convictions led her to seek broad solutions rather than short-term remedies for immediate problems" (Williams et al, 1991, p. 604). Kate said that "All that separates, whether of race, class, creed, or sex, is inhuman, and must be overcome" (Page, 1993, p. 122). Her tenacity and strategic approach meant that Aotearoa was the first nation to give women universal suffrage, despite the fact that the movement was not a large one by global standards (Paxton & Hughes, 2014). It was instead a persistent, logical, and enduring campaign. I think, by her actions dedicated to fairness and equality (Page, 1993), that today she would champion the right of young people's political franchise. As she so worthily said:

"Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops" (Kate Sheppard, as cited by GoodReads, 2022).

Every vote in our society is important, and that idea sends a message about UNIVERSAL franchise. We should not treat that equality message lightly. Yet with every exclusion, the message THAT sends is also important: it undermines the equality that our society holds as a cornerstone philosophy (Fischer, 2012). 

I have heard some pundits suggest that votes should not be given to those who are not working. Not having a job is not a criteria for voting once we are 18: why should that be a measure when we are 16? Further, as almost 40% of 16-19 year old school leavers do not go on to higher education (25% work; 2% youth guarantees; 12% NEETs, who cannot get an unemployment benefit; Ministry of Education, 2022), a significant percentage of 16 year olds can no longer be considered 'school children'. They are adults with societal rights and responsibilities. One of those rights should be the ability participate in all functions of a fair and just society, including voting.

We like to think of ourselves as a just society. This issue has flagged an area which we need to work on. We should do just that: show our tamariki the respect they are due as members of an inclusive and fair society.

Sam

References:

GoodReads. (2022). Kate Sheppard Quotable Quotes. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10118598-do-not-think-your-single-vote-does-not-matter-much

McClure, T. (21 November 2022). What do you think about lowering New Zealand’s voting age to 16?. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/21/what-do-you-think-about-lowering-new-zealands-voting-age-to-16

Ministry of Education. (2022). Post-compulsory education and training. Education Counts. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/post-compulsory-education-and-training

Paxton, P. M., & Hughes, M. M. (2014). Women, Politics, and Power: A Global Perspective (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Page, D. (1993). The Suffragists: Women who worked for the vote. Bridget Williams Books.

Williams, B., Macdonald, C., & Penfold, M. (1991). The Book of New Zealand Women/Ko Kui Ma Te Kaupapa. Bridget Williams Books Limited.