New Zealand to decide on lowering voting age to 16
Move comes after Supreme Court rules on age discrimination
New Zealand lawmakers will take a vote on whether to lower the national voting age from 18 to 16, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said yesterday.
Her announcement came hours after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that not allowing 16- and 17-yearolds to vote amounted to age discrimination. But while Ardern said she personally favours lowering the age, such a change would require a 75 per cent supermajority of lawmakers to agree.
A number of countries are debating whether to lower their voting age. Some that allow people to vote at 16 include Austria, Malta, Brazil, Cuba and Ecuador.
Sanat Singh, co-director of New Zealand’s Make It 16 campaign, said he was absolutely thrilled with the court’s decision.