Supreme Court Rules Voting Age of 18 is Discriminatory

New Zealand’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country’s current voting age of 18 is discriminatory, meaning parliament must discuss whether it should be lowered, Alys Davies reports for the BBC.

The case was brought by campaign group Make It 16, which wants the voting age reduced to include 16 and 17 year olds, Davies writes.

“This is history,” Make It 16 co-director Caeden Tipler said.

The group argued that young people should be able to vote on matters affecting them, such as climate change.

The issue must now be brought to parliament, after the court ruled that New Zealand’s minimum voting age of 18 was inconsistent with the country’s Bill of Rights – which gives people who are 16 years and over the right to be free from age discrimination.

Original article by Alys Davies, BBC, November 22, 2022.