Lowering Voting Age a Good Call!

I think its great that Sue Bradford has raised the voting age debate. I've always believed its a good way to increase voter turnout by lowering the voting age to 16 years of age. It would also enable better education and participation of people in the political process. This is because it gives more opportunity to provide information and awareness through the school system that is relevant to young people. I believe that by reducing the age, people will form voting habits from an earlier age and hence be more likely to vote. This is consistent with the Christchurch City Council’s independent commissioned report into poor local body voter turnout that states “Habit, Duty, Right” as being the primary reason why people vote in local body elections.

Another positive in reducing the voting age is that there are many relevant local body issues for young people today- drag racing, lack of underage venues, safety, public transport and so on. But because young people cannot vote, their concerns and voices are often ignored or brushed aside. A voting age of 16 would make politicians more accountable to the needs of young people.