Youth Participation In New Zealand Voting Process: Policy Problem And Solutions

Discuss About The Participation Voting Process Gives Them An Opportunity?

The fact that youths participation in the voting process gives them an opportunity to choose the right government makes the young aged inability to register as voters remain a policy problem in New Zealand. Those youths who are enrolled to vote do not show up on that voting day. This has lead to a loss in new Zealand as the young people who do not register or registered but do not show up on that voting day are expected to be the leaders of tomorrow. The marketing explains why lack of youth participation in New Zealand has been a policy issue in the country.

Every citizen has a democratic right to vote and elect their leaders in the country. New Zealand's system of government requires that people aged eighteen years and above enroll and vote. There has been an advanced problem of disappearing youth vote in New Zealand. Lack of participation of youth in the voting process has been a big issue influencing democratic process in the country (Cohen & Kahne, 2011). Even though statistics show that New Zealand enjoys a high turnout voters enrolment of about 79 percent, young people aged between 18 to 24 ( 19 percent do not register as voters).

Youths turnout in election process has been dismal in New Zealand. In research, there have been discovered five classes of youths who do not vote in New Zealand. These classes include: convinced and confident, disillusioned and distrustful, politically absent, ‘tentative Triers' and living for the weekend.  ‘convinced and confident' and ‘tentative triers' are well motivated and accept to vote, but they do not turn up on the voting day (Duhn, 2010). Others include disillusioned and distrustful, living for the weekend and politically absent. These are people who are not well motivated to vote, but they do vote because they cannot see the importance of voting. Other classes include the disinterested who have weak knowledge about politics, have no motivation to show up on the voting day hence they do not vote.

It has been discovered that in New Zealand the circumstances that hinder the ’convinced and confident’ and ‘tentative triers’ from going to vote are unavoidable events and circumstances which they did not know about while others are intimidated and overwhelmed by the process of politics hence they decide not to vote. The other three which include disillusioned and distrustful, living for the weekend and politically absent are less motivated to show up on that voting day (Furlong, 2016). The barriers that hinder them from showing up include the lack of knowledge about politics and lack of motivation. Others affected mostly by low rates of literacy and lack or very low access to means of transport and communication around them while others are completely apathetic to issues that they consider do not have any effect on their daily lives.

Background

Also, the New Zealand’s government has been showing less concern to the youths concerns, and this contributes to their lack of voter registration. The lack of appreciating the youths value in governance is a major discouraging factor for the young people. Young people in new Zealand are not interested in political matters because of profound or total lack of knowledge about political issues (Ichilov, 2013). Others have very little or no motivation to contribute fully and willingly on voting day. Other people do not go to vote due to individuals convictions regarding the ineffectiveness to that their vote. They believe that to vote is not the best way of influencing politics or bringing changes to New Zealand.

Another factor that makes the young people of new Zealand not to vote is that they follow up whether their parents voted the previous elections. This is because the young people follow what their parents are doing. If the parents did not show up on previous election day, the young would consider it not important, and something, not compulsory which is done on willing limpness (James, 2015). This leads youth to unconcerned about the politics. Some of the other barriers that affect New Zealand young people from voting include the negative attitude of seeing to vote is not the solution to bring the changes in New Zealand. The young find it difficult to navigate that voting process due to decline or lack of civic teachers and education in schools, apathy, political alienation, lack of understanding and inconvenience.

In New Zealand, the nonpartisan organization and political parties are finding ways and solutions to minimize and end these barriers which hinder the young people from voting. These parties have come up with some solutions which they must do to draw young peoples attention to politics. In the New Zealand have taken a step of addressing the inconvenience aspect on youths by raising the number of polling stations to avoid congestion and time wastage as the people spend a lot of time queuing. This is to remove which may lead to youth discouragement as they do not like to stay the same place for long hours. Also, The registration process in new Zealand has been made easier by making forms for enrollment available in liquor stores, shopping complexes, and big hotels (Wood, 2014). This has enabled the youth to enroll in an easy way at a very near place and in a straightforward way. This is to economics the young people of new Zealand to participate in elections.

Analysis

Also in New Zealand, the political organizations have started to provide the transport means to the polling stations. This is to encourage the youth of New Zealand who does not have transport ways to show up on the voting day. They have also supported the early opening of polling stations in New Zealand so as youths who have other tasks to tackle can vote early and be off to other activities and also reduce congestion in polls (Miller, 2010). Voting campaigns awareness are held in colleges and universities, using text and student media to encourage the young people of New Zealand to enroll as voters and to show up on voting day

Due to the high advancement of technology, almost every youth in New Zealand is connected to internet services (Farthing, 2010). The political parties have created websites in social networks such as Facebook, Tweeter, Bebo among many others to motivate youth on campaigns. This makes the young people have the concern about the elections. Also, the political organizations in New Zealand use youth during campaigns to meet their colleagues when social networking, during their peer meeting about the politics, via phone banking among others (Sibley & Ward, 2013). This helps the youth to draw attentions when being addressed by their peers hence get motivated to show up during the voting days.

Also, the political parties in New Zealand find the celebrity spokespeople mostly from youth to come and speech political issues and events to the youth. Other spokespeople use new technologies such as you tube, music and pop culture to draw youths attention on political matters.

Research has been done in New Zealand to find solutions towards the failure of youths to vote. The study identifies that the use of websites and social media to reach the youth maybe the best way. This is because a large number of young people in New Zealand can access internet services (Kelsey, 2015). Also, use of young people in campaigns can reach the youth in an easy way and also one can accept easily to get involved in politics.

The parents of the young people of New Zealand should make sure they participate fully in the policy. This is because they act as role model to their children (Checkoway, 2011). When parents show a right turn up to politics, also the youth will start to see the importance of the policy in the society. Also, parents should encourage their children to enroll and to vote.

Discuss policy solutions

The political leaders should aim to campaign in areas with many youths mostly like in colleges, universities and youth meetings. This is to encourage the young people to enroll as voters and to create awareness on the importance of politics in New Zealand.

Youth should also be invited to political seminars to know the importance and how they are carried out to stop the young people of New Zealand from considering the politics as hard thing. Also, the youth is also encouraged to vote first even if they want to leave for the weekend.  This is enhanced by the early opening of the polling stations so as those who are in a hurry can vote first before leaving for those other activities (Anaya, 2015). This has encouraged the youth of New Zealand mostly to be involved in politics especially in enrolling themselves and showing up on voting day. The government of New Zealand has to educate teachers on political matters to teach the students about politics and their importance to economic progress.

Conclusion

The lack of active civic education by the government on the youths has been the key contributor to this menace. Also, the public institutions in the country do not value the young people’s ideas, and this has been discouraging them from getting registered as voters. Again, the public officials lack paying attention to youth concerns contributes to their ignorance in the whole election process.  Therefore, the government should begin valuing youth concerns, educating them on the importance to vote, and involving them in policy making processes of the country.

References

Anaya, S. J. (2015). Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the Situation of Maori People in New Zealand. Ariz. J. Int'l & Comp. L., 32, 1.

Checkoway, B. (2011). What is youth participation?. Children and youth services review, 33(2), 340-345.

Cohen, C. J., & Kahne, J. (2011). Participatory politics. New media and youth political action.

Duhn, I. (2010). ‘The center is my business': Neo-liberal politics, privatization, and discourses of professionalism in New Zealand. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 11(1),    49-60.

Farthing, R. (2010). The politics of youthful antipolitics: representing the ‘issue’of youth   participation in politics. Journal of youth studies, 13(2), 181-195.

Furlong, A. (Ed.). (2016). Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood. Taylor & Francis.

Ichilov, O. (2013). Citizenship and citizenship education in a changing world. Routledge.

James, C. (2015). The quiet revolution: Turbulence and transition in contemporary New     Zealand. Bridget Williams Books.

Kelsey, J. (2015). The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?.Bridget Williams Books.

Miller, R. (2010). New Zealand government and politics. Oxford University Press Management.

Sibley, C. G., & Ward, C. (2013). Measuring the preconditions for a successful multicultural society: A barometer test of New Zealand. International Journal of Intercultural   Relations, 37(6), 700-713.

Wood, B. E. (2014). Participatory capital: Bourdieu and citizenship education in diverse school communities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 35(4), 578-597.