Today the expert and independent Review into the Future of Local Government released its final report. It confirms the recommendation from its draft report that the voting age be lowered to 16 for local elections. This comes just two weeks after the Independent Electoral Law Review interim report also recommended lowering the voting age to 16.

“We call on all politicians to listen to the experts as well as young people. Anyone who doesn’t support lowering the voting age for local elections is flying in the face of the evidence, our human rights, and seven of our largest councils” says Make It 16 Co-Director Sage Garrett (he/him).

“Lowering the voting age for local elections is achievable now. The Government has committed to introducing a Bill to do it. So we call on all parties to get it done. David Seymour has said Act MPs may support lowering the voting age for local elections. It is time for the government to introduce its Bill and for all parties to vote to uphold our rights.

“We deserve a say on the buses we take, the roads we drive on, and the parks we use. Councils make important decisions on climate adaptation we have no say in and yet will be severely impacted by. 130,000 young New Zealanders deserve better.

“This report is clear. 16 and 17 year-olds are ready to vote in local elections, and local government needs their input. Turnout at last year’s local elections was just 40%. It was as low as 36% in Auckland. Research shows that people who vote for the first time at 16 or 17 are more likely to vote than 18-24 year olds and will continue to later in life.

“We are confident that once politicians see the success of rangatahi voting at a local level they will have no choice but to lower the voting age for general elections too.”

The report said “The Panel sees fundamental value in ensuring youth are represented in local democracy. Rangatahi will inherit the impacts of decisions made by councils today. They are passionate about complex issues like climate change, poverty, housing, and education. They want to have their views recognised and have a say on the big issues that will impact their future.”

Notes

The Review into the Future of Local Government’s final report can be found here: https://www.futureforlocalgovernment.govt.nz/assets/future-for-local-government-final-report.pdf

The Independent Electoral Law Review’s interim report from one week ago can be found here: https://electoralreview.govt.nz/assets/PDF/IER-Interim-Report.pdf

Dunedin City Council endorsed lowering the voting age in its submission to the Review into the Future of Local Government. Christchurch City Council has supported lowering the voting age to 16 since early 2020 when it submitted in support of the change to Justice Select Committee’s review into the 2019 local elections (which it repeated in the review of the 2022 local elections). Wellington City Council has advocating for lowering the voting age to 16 in its Children and Young People Strategy from 2021. Hutt City, Porirua City, and Kapiti Coast District Councils all passed resolutions in December last year supporting lowering the voting age to 16. Selwyn District Council said in its submission to the review that ““Lowering the voting age to 16 gives life to intergenerational decision-making.”

Turnout figures for the 2022 local elections are summarised here: https://www.votelocal.co.nz/final-voter-turnout-results/

For the Act Party view on local elections, see reports such as this one: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/479271/labour-considers-voting-age-change-for-council-elections

Dr Jan Eichhorn and Dr Christine Hübner did research on the impact of lowering the voting age on voter turnout in Scotland and found that not only do 16/17 year-olds turnout at higher rates, but also people who vote for the first time at 16/17 are more likely to vote later in life https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/votes-at-16-in-scotland-study

Sage Garrett and Thomas Brocherie have recently taken over as co-directors of Make It 16 from Caeden Tipler and Sanat Singh. Caeden and Sanat remain on the organisation’s leadership team

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