Rangatahi are the least likely group to vote in New Zealand. In the last election, only 63.8% of eligible voters under 34 cast a ballot, whereas 82.3% of New Zealanders over 34 exercised their democratic right to vote. The skew towards older New Zealanders being nearly 20% more likely to vote than youth means the rangatahi voice is underrepresented in parliament. Although 18 to 24-year-olds represent the second biggest voting block (trailing only those over 70), they had the lowest voter turnout (60.9%) of any age group in 2020.
This afternoon at Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland, local MP Chlöe Swarbrick cast her vote in a bid to encourage its tauira [students] to head to the campus’s voting booths (find these in the quad above the campus store). Last election, there were no voting booths at New Zealand universities, said Swarbrick, who’s happy that voting is more accessible for students this year. There are now voting stations at campuses across the country.
Yet only time will tell how successful the initiative will be at promoting youth voting. When Swarbrick voted at the University of Auckland – presumably two ticks Green – there were more journalists taking photos of her than actual students voting. However, a steady trickle of tauira filtered into the booths throughout the afternoon. That trickle was undoubtedly impacted by Swarbrick’s visit. One student ran into the quad yelling, “I’m going to vote, come vote, Chlöe is upstairs!” – while others lined up to chat and take photos with the high-profile Green MP.
When we asked Swarbrick how the youth voter turnout could be improved, she stressed the importance of civics education at schools – meaning a chance to learn about how our political system operates. “Civics education is fundamentally important, but it takes a long time,” said Swarbrick. While door-knocking and phone-banking this campaign, Swarbrick and her team have encountered plenty of misconceptions about our political system – misconceptions she believes civics education would help stamp out.
The Spinoff asked Swarbrick if she was confident she’ll become the first ever Green MP to win an electorate in back-to-back elections. “I’m feeling good. I’m feeling as though we have an immense opportunity,” she said. She hopes her local mahi, like opposing mayor Wayne Brown’s budget proposal earlier this year, will garner votes in Auckland Central. But Swarbrick elaborated that “nothing can be taken for granted in politics. No politician or political party are entitled to anything”.
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