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New Zealand withdraws bill allowing 16-year-olds to vote in local body elections

16 Comments
By Lucy Craymer

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16 Comments
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This is a good move - particularly in an age where so many teenagers have been indoctrinated with left-wing "thought" by activist teachers, and are not yet mature enough in great enough numbers to think things through to a deep enough level. The previous socialist government wanted to get indoctrinated mid-teenagers voting because they thought Labour/Greens could secure their vote and get their people in at the local level and expand their influence from there. The new government has sensibly rejected this.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

This is a bad move - particularly in an age where so many teenagers have been indoctrinated with right-wing "thought" by activist teachers, and are mature enough in great enough numbers to think things through to a deep enough level. The previous conservative government wanted to take away mid-teenagers voting rights because they thought conservatives could secure their vote with the elderly and get their people in at the local level and expand their influence from there. The new government has insensibly rejected this. :)

0 ( +5 / -5 )

crowbagToday  01:07 pm JST

This is a bad move - particularly in an age where so many teenagers have been indoctrinated with right-wing "thought" by activist teachers, and are mature enough in great enough numbers to think things through to a deep enough level. The previous conservative government wanted to take away mid-teenagers voting rights because they thought conservatives could secure their vote with the elderly and get their people in at the local level and expand their influence from there. The new government has insensibly rejected this. :)

If you're going to parody my post, at least try to base it on fact. Right-wing teachers? I wish there were more than just a handful!

Try a little harder next time, but I'll give you an upvote for trying - think of it as a medal for last place.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

If you're going to parody my post, at least try to base it on fact. Right-wing teachers? I wish there were more than just a handful!

Or....Or, they just teach the subject they are supposed to. Let the left/right parents screw their own kids up themselves.

Also, I've been 16 (I'm not old, not young but not like an old man or anything. I'm still cool). I would have voted for which canidate was better at Street Fighter.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Thank goodness for that!

I actually like Taiwan's age for voting - 20. Everything else from 18, but voting alone, 20.

At 18 you become an adult and are free to make mistakes and learn. By 20 you've at least had 2 years of adult experience and can make better, more informed decisions in shaping the countries future through votes.

Actually 30 would probably be a better age (so you have 10 years of adult experience), but I don't think you'd get away with that :P

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I am a Kiwi and this has been in discussion at various social events I have been to in NZ. I am sitting right on the fence with this as on one side as mentioned above there is a maturity issue with not understanding with political issues what is right or wrong. Then however on the other side is a lot of 16 year olds in NZ are working full time so should they not have the right to say what happens to the tax dollars they pay to the govt?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The voting age should be at the age of twenty as is the norm in Japanese culture. New Zealand should keep up.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The voting age should be at the age of twenty as is the norm in Japanese culture.

In Japan it's 18.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

How would 16 year olds voting be good for any national or local government elections?

What are they going to choose based off of?

Who's the most popular?

Who has the cutest smile?

Who has the strangest haircut?

Who is the coolest in their class?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The voting age in Scotland is 16, except for UK government elections. It was lowered from 18 about 10 years ago. I was dubious at first. But there was a TV show with hundreds of 16-18 year old school kids getting to ask questions to politicians. I was impressed with the questions and wondered whether only 16-18 year olds should be allowed to vote.

Also, shouldn't an upper age limit be considered? Senility tends to creep in on us over-60s.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

albaleo - I completely agree about voting at 16 in Scotland. Young people who vote probably have a higher degree of engagement with politics than any other age group. Young people who don't care just don't bother to vote. As an old geezer I'm not so sure about being excluded because of my age!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

As an old geezer I'm not so sure about being excluded because of my age!

I probably feel the same. But I'm not sure my kids would agree. :-)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

16 year olds generally have just one thing on their minds, and it ain't politics. The very idea of giving them a vote defies common sense.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Bad HaircutToday  01:00 pm JST

This is a good move - particularly in an age where so many teenagers have been indoctrinated with left-wing "thought" by activist teachers, and are not yet mature enough in great enough numbers to think things through to a deep enough level. The previous socialist government wanted to get indoctrinated mid-teenagers voting because they thought Labour/Greens could secure their vote and get their people in at the local level and expand their influence from there. The new government has sensibly rejected this.

TL;DR

But I can guess what it boils down to: “the Red Menace” dun-dun-duuuurrrrrr…. smh

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

16 year olds generally have just one thing on their minds, and it ain't politics. The very idea of giving them a vote defies common sense.

True, but they do have an opinion on what a "good local body" looks like. Am I missing something due to the title? It isn't like they want to allow anyone overrun with hormones to vote in any real elections, right? Just to pick the best "local bodies".

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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