New Zealand’s Supreme Court on November 21 ruled that the current voting age of 18 breaches young people’s rights, prompting the government to launch plans to lower the age to 16.
Key points
- The Supreme Court ruling marked the conclusion of a two-year case brought by a group of young campaigners, Make It 16. They argued that younger people should be able to vote on issues such as the climate crisis, which will disproportionately affect them and their futures.
- After the Supreme Court ruling, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern quickly unveiled draft legislation lowering the voting age, but warned changes would be difficult to pass and could not be in place before the 2023 general election.
- The ruling does not automatically guarantee the right to vote will be extended – that can be done only by parliament – but it does mean that parliament is now breaching the fundamental human rights of younger voters, and forces legislators to consider a change.
- However, changes to electoral law in New Zealand require 75% support in parliament, so a change would require the support of both Labour and the opposition National party to become law.
- Only a few countries allow those under 18 to vote: Brazil, Cuba, Austria and Malta have voting ages of 16 and up. In Scotland, 16-year-olds can vote in Scottish parliamentary elections, but not the UK general elections.
