Public Address | Cafe | Legal Beagle: Future Leaders for Democracy; or lowering the voting age

Brent Jackson

Tue, 24 May 2016 19:01:53 +1200

Thanks for posting this Graeme – most interesting.

Graeme Edgeler

Sat, 21 May 2016 20:54:06 +1200

I just found that someone has edited together all the bits of "A Good Day" with the Future Leaders for Democracy in into into one video.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSDxg-bDw1A

David Haywood

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 00:06:42 +1300

My tongue was in my cheek David

Apologies, Glenn! With looking after two strong-willed children all day my tongue-in-cheek detector gets a little rusty.

You no doubt recall that we had a discussion on this very topic in 1983 (Mr Child's social studies class) and I wondered if this was…

Moz

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 23:10:53 +1300

That's a very narrow window when you consider it valid for people to want this: between discovering Public Address and turning 18. Although since this is pure anecdote, I claim to know thousands of youths who desperately want to vote, but can't because of discrimination that's illegal under the UN…

Glenn Pearce

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 17:31:55 +1300

My tongue was in my cheek David, your idea isn't a bad one.

Certainly with the NZ relatively short 3 year terms it has merit, personally I'd be keen for longer terms in NZ (4 years) which under your system would potentially see 14 year olds voting.

David Haywood

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 16:23:18 +1300

Conversely, if you’re not expected to live to the end of next term, remove the ability to vote?

I don't see that allowing people to vote who will turn 18 in a given (nominal) electoral term implies that people not expected to live should have their voter rights removed.

Does…

Graeme Edgeler

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 16:18:22 +1300

I guess at nine one wouldn’t be too fussed about one consequence of that, which would be that NZers would no longer be able to drive overseas.

A lot of adults aren't too fussed either.

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 16:10:22 +1300

A nine-year-old petitioned Parliament for the testing of people driving on foreign drivers licences in New Zealand

I guess at nine one wouldn’t be too fussed about one consequence of that, which would be that NZers would no longer be able to drive overseas. (There is a reciprocal treaty by…

Lucy Telfar Barnard

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 16:01:56 +1300

And if kids don't use Facebook any more, please let me know what they are using :-)

As far as I can tell (I have a fifteen year-old), instagram and tumblr, and they chat on Skype and google chats. All at the same time. There's a bit of facebook, but…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 15:04:46 +1300

We have such a strange range of ages when children become adults in NZ. Every government department or agency seems to have a different one. This seems an urgent area for some serious policy work and while we are at it, lower the voting age.

Graeme Edgeler

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:12:47 +1300

If it’s the younger people who are less likely to vote, won’t lowering the voting age just decrease voter turnout (overall) anyway?

It will decrease turnout as a percentage of enrolled voters, and will decrease turnout as a percentage of people of voting age. It will however increase turnout, and…

Graeme Edgeler

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:10:47 +1300

Where is our life-long investment in civic understanding?

I'm not saying we shouldn't have this. In fact we should have this. But the lack of this should not be used to deny a class of people the vote.

Glenn Pearce

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:05:20 +1300

Conversely, if you're not expected to live to the end of next term, remove the ability to vote?

Or, how about age weighting your vote by your remaining life expectancy?

If it's the younger people who are less likely to vote, won't lowering the voting age just decrease voter turnout…

Sacha

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 13:26:59 +1300

I wouldn’t link it to increased civics education – voting is either a right or it isn’t.

Whereas I see it being the same sort of right as informed consent is. That applies to adults as well as teens. Where is our life-long investment in civic understanding?

linger

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 12:29:08 +1300

It seems simpler to change the voting age from 18 to 15 to accomplish exactly the same result; but what I like about your tweak is that the principle also could be (re)applied to the group of prisoners whose right to vote was removed in 2010 (i.e. those serving a…

David Haywood

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 12:03:44 +1300

Thanks for an interesting piece (as always), Graeme.

I remember feeling quite indignant at university still being some years away from being able to vote, but the fact – as onsos has also pointed out – that any attempt to change the voting age would take years, and involve me…

izogi

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 11:17:40 +1300

Look at the sad turnouts at local and national elections. We need to acknowledge that. [...] Maybe if we get young people enthused, they will shame more adults into thinking, acting and voting about the things that really matter to us all.

Is there reason to think that there might…

Ian Dalziel

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:40:28 +1300

The Young Ones…
And most of all, where are the kids who want to vote? I’m all for lowering the voting age, but I’ve seen little indication that it’s something all that many of them want
More to the point where is the vehicle for their voice, FaceBook aside there…

Marion Ogier

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:40:23 +1300

Well "adults" are not setting a very good example that voting is something to be treasured and taken seriously. Look at the sad turnouts at local and national elections. We need to acknowledge that. We also need to recognise that a big part of the problem is lack of education,…

onsos

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:18:53 +1300

The problem with expecting youth to advocate for rights for youth is that the youth themselves rapidly grow up, turn 18, and get the rights that they were fighting for anyway.

Graeme Edgeler

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 09:17:55 +1300

There are groups of young people who have always wanted the vote. Been to a liberal secondary school lately? Perhaps you are just not looking in the right places. Go along to the handing over of the clean water petition to parliament today at 1 pm. I'm sure there will…

Hilary Stace

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 08:15:42 +1300

Public Address

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 08:15:42 +1300

Discussion from blog post.