WHY YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT USE YOUR VOICE – IT MATTERS

Are you leaving school and don’t think your vote will impact your future? Do you consider that your voice is not important in politics? Think again.

Election day is Saturday, 14 October and citizens or permanent residents of New Zealand aged 18 years or over on election day can and should use their voice by voting.

One good reason young people should vote in this year’s general election is that their lives and the expectations of what they should be doing has changed from when most politicians were young, says UN Youth New Zealand member and University of Auckland student Noor Randhawa (20).

“The experiences of the older generations don’t accurately represent the experience of youth today, now that we have social media, AI, blockchain etcetera.

“The effects of this election are going to be felt by us. We don’t want the short end of the stick when it comes time for us to reap the benefit just because we didn’t bother putting in the work early on,” Noor says.

“The youth of today are the citizens of tomorrow and [we] can’t leave the decisions for our future to be made up by the minds of those who won’t be around to suffer the consequences.”

Elections are your chance to choose the people and parties who make decisions on your behalf about how our country is run, says New Zealand’s Electoral Commission. By voting, you can have your say on the issues that affect you, your friends and your whānau.

“It is a fundamental flaw with our democracy that we don’t have enough young people accurately representing their experiences,” adds Noor. “Everyone in New Zealand is a part of a family or community [and] we all use public services, like education and health services. Decisions about those things – how they’re funded, how they work and how they’re accessed – are made by people you vote for in general elections.”

By voting, you are helping to choose the party and people that best suit your future. While election day is on 14 October, you can vote at any voting place in Aotearoa from 2 October.

To be eligible to enrol and vote, you need to turn 18 before 14 October this year and be either a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident. If you’re 17 now, you can still fill out an enrolment form and on your 18th birthday, the Electoral Commission’s team will automatically enrol you.

Enrolment can be done online at vote.nz using a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or your RealMe verified identity.

Voting is easy and it takes less than five minutes to do. When you vote, you will be given a ballot paper to fill out. Each voter has two votes – one for the party you support and one for the candidate you want to represent your local area. The party or parties with the biggest share of votes form the government, which decides on things like schools and hospitals. Not only do our young people’s votes count, but their voice matters.

Noor recommends young voters attend programmes and events to familiarise themselves with politics. “Programs like UN Youth are really good ways to get involved. They help facilitate the conversations for those who might not have a political background. One vote, although it is small, is the ripple that will help bring the wave of change.”

Keep an eye out for political events in your area to help familiarise yourself with the parties and your local politicians.

For more information about enrolling and voting in this year’s general election, visit www.vote.nz