Youth deserve a voting voice
In the United States, a heart attack threatens the health of 78-year-old Bernie Sanders and that of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Fellow aspirant Joe Biden is 77 next month and often fluffing his lines. The Republican they want to trump is 73 and, depending on what you read, mentally unfit, physically unhealthy and deteriorating under pressure.
In New Zealand, following in the thrumming footsteps heard around the world, tens of thousands of young people are agitating for action on climate change; others want the voting age lowered to 16.
Meanwhile, voting in local body elections is approaching record lows. It looks as unhealthy as the largely pale, stale males carrying the torch in the US. With less than a week to go and postal votes needing to be sent today to count, all of the main centres are struggling to reach 20 per cent turnout.
As of last Friday, just 10 per cent had voted in the capital city; 15.5 was the figure in Christchurch, and Auckland was at 12.8 per cent. All of these figures are down on the same time three years ago and suggest the country will struggle to get anywhere near the anaemic 42 per cent recorded in 2016; 30 years ago the figure was closer to 60 per cent.
There are myriad causes and few solutions, but one of the latter could be to recognise the global cultural and societal zeitgeist represented in the steely, ambitious gaze of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg and so many others and open the door to this change in political climate.
That would involve more recognition of not only the many voices of youth but also the many channels through which those voices are carried.
Time, surely, is up on postal voting as the main tool of engagement, particularly in lacklustre local body elections. Mail delivery is down to a handful of days, post boxes are increasingly difficult to find, and young people are more likely to look for the glowing screen.
People are likely to be wary of online or electronic voting, in the wake of Statistics NZ’s disaster in delivering the 2018 census. It failed in part because there was an over-reliance on the online content and fewer face-to-face interviews.
Also, results from overseas are mixed. The Swiss found online voting had little impact on turnout, while Estonia says it helps those who might struggle to vote the traditional way, particularly the young. Germany, the Netherlands and the UK put a stop to electronic voting over concerns about reliability, while other countries, including Brazil and India, are comfortable and committed.
But just as the political momentum of youth is becoming irresistible and unstoppable, so is the need to consider anything that could bring in more younger people and broaden the base of ideas and democracy.
Secure online voting is an idea whose time is near, while giving 16-year-olds the vote is worthy of debate, in light of their political awakening.
Democracy, particularly at the local level, is ailing and in need of some youthful vigour.
Germany, the Netherlands and the UK put a stop to electronic voting over concerns about reliability, while other countries, including Brazil and India, are comfortable and committed.