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It is election time again! Candidates, from various political parties will be seeking our mandate and authority to make decisions on our behalf in Parliament in the coming days. Voting starts on 5 September 2020.
Since the 1984 election, there has been a worrying downward trend in the numbers of people voting. In 1984, 93.7% of enrolled citizens voted, this dwindled to 79.8% in 2017. We need to encourage all eligible to vote, not least our new entrants this year.
In the last two years, many young people have shown an interest in the negative effects of climate change, now and in the future. They have stepped up and taken action through demonstrations and voiced their strong concerns about the lack of action on this by previous governments.
The estimate of potential voters in the 18-24 age group for the 2020 General Election is 450,000. If we add the 374,200 that make up the 25-29 age group, they make up nearly 16% of the voting public in Aotearoa.
So far, only 61.52% of our youngest cohort are enrolled to vote, and the 25-29s only 73.35%. A grand total of nearly 266,000 are yet to enrol! Potentially this voting group makes up 21% of eligible voters in New Zealand. This is sizable enough to make a difference to the make-up of the next government. Remember, every vote counts in an MMP election.
In a recent study of 435 participants aged 18-24 (September 2019), by Kyle Whitfield, Doctor of Business Administration student, revealed that a lack of information about candidates is the main reason young people do not vote. They were put off by the lack of information and knowledge about the elections, as this subject is not a big or cohesive part of the school curriculum.
As a civil society, we have a duty to educate and encourage our youth in civic knowledge and citizenship. The act of voting is one of the first acts of good citizenship. Please enrol and vote.