New Zealand politicians will take a vote on whether to lower the national voting age from 18 to 16, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said. Her announcement came hours after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that not allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote amounted to age discrimination.
But while Ms Ardern said she personally favours lowering the age, such a change would require a 75% supermajority of politicians to agree. And even proponents acknowledge they do not currently have the numbers.
A number of countries are debating whether to lower their voting age. Some that allow people to vote at 16 include Austria, Malta, Brazil, Cuba and Ecuador.
