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New Zealand court rules voting age of 18 ‘discriminates against young people’: Ardern government wants to lower to 16
- Bill to lower the voting age to 16, already unveiled by Arden
- The final decision rests with the 120-strong parliament, with a required majority of 75%
- “I am personally in favor of lowering the age,” Arden told reporters
New Zealand’s Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the current voting age of 18 violates young people’s rights, prompting the government to launch plans to lower the age to 16.
Following the ruling, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern quickly unveiled a bill to lower the voting age, but warned that changes would be difficult to implement and could not take effect before the 2023 general election.
Ardern supports the change, but stressed that her vote would be just one in New Zealand’s 120-strong parliament.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at a press conference on June 10, 2022 in Sydney, Australia
“I personally support a reduction in the age, but it’s not a matter for me or even the government,” she told reporters in Wellington.
‘For such an amendment to the electoral law, 75 percent of the parliamentarians are needed.
“So we believe this is an issue best put to parliament for everyone to have their say.”
Monday’s Supreme Court ruling marks the conclusion of a two-year case brought by the ‘Make it 16’ group of young activists, but only parliament can lower the voting age.
The ruling means parliament is now violating the human rights of young voters, forcing New Zealand lawmakers to consider a change.
Only a handful of countries in the world have a voting age of 16, most notably Brazil.
Academics have found that lowering the voting age improves political engagement, with results varying from country to country.