Local Government Minister Simeon Brown said that “ratepayers and residents expect their local councils to be sticking to core business of efficiently and effectively delivering local infrastructure and services,” and called the process to lower the voting age a “costly distraction”.
Stifling democracy
In axing the Bill, the Government made its position clear – cost-cutting is more important than democracy. Over 730 submissions were made on the Bill through the Make It 16 website, with countless more through other channels, and none will be heard.
The decision to cull the Bill is a devastating blow to the years of work that youth organisation – Make It 16 – has put in to lower the voting age.
“The Government’s decision not to continue with the Bill to lower the voting age for local elections is a terrible decision for young people and democracy,” said Make It 16 codirector Sage Green in a statement following the defeat. Green says the Government’s decision to can the Bill begs the question: if democracy is not part of the core business of local government, what is?
Suffrage in Aotearoa
When women in Aotearoa were fighting for suffrage in the late 1800s, they faced the same challenges. The simple thought of women voting was deemed impossible. “Public opinion” maintained that women were not intelligent enough to vote, and politicians worried that women would vote to change the status quo. Despite overwhelming social opposition, women campaigned for the right to vote, and in 1893, New Zealand became the first nation to ever enshrine votes for women. This proved the “impossible” is, in fact, incredibly possible.
The case for Making It 16
At 16, you can drive, consent to medical procedures, move out of home, work full-time and pay income tax, and more. If at 16 you can become a taxpayer, a renter, a student with a loan – it is your right to vote on the issues that affect you. Make It 16 successfully argued this in 2022, when the New Zealand Supreme Court ruled that preventing 16- and 17-year-olds from voting was age discrimination, and a breach of the Bill of Rights Act 1990.
New Zealand prides itself on having a strong democracy, and while this chance at youth suffrage may have been stamped out, the facts speak for themselves – letting young people have their say allows for greater civic engagement, sustainable policies, and, when given the chance, a better future, where democracy thrives.
Despite the setbacks imposed by the government, the campaign for youth suffrage continues.
Authored by Lily Lewis (they/them), PSA Youth member and PSA Public Service Sector
Committee Youth Representative.
