Most young Aucklanders believe voting should be compulsory.
An Auckland Council pre-election survey of 1,960 Aucklanders shows people aged 25 to 34 are more in favour of compulsory voting than other age groups.
Of the 417 people in the 25 to 34 age group, almost 58 per cent thought voting should be mandatory. Just over 29 per cent were against the idea, while 13.1 per cent “did not know” if voting should be compulsory.
Overall, 52.2 per cent of Aucklanders supported compulsory voting, 35.5 per cent were opposed, and 12.3 per cent did not know.
“It’s clear most Aucklanders are concerned about low turnout and want to see measures taken to ensure they, and others, have their say at election time," says Otago University Law Professor, Andrew Geddis.
Victoria University Professor of Public Policy, Jonathan Boston, says the results are “remarkable”.
“Support is surprisingly high, especially among those under 45 years of age.
“Indeed, for 25 to 34-year-olds, roughly double the proportion of people support compulsory voting as oppose it.”
Otago University Law Professor, Andrew Geddis, hopes the results spark a wider discussion about the importance of voting.
“Only 38.5 per cent of Aucklanders voted at the last election, yet more than half are now calling for mandatory voting.
“It’s clear most Aucklanders are concerned about low turnout and want to see measures taken to ensure they, and others, have their say at election time.”
The Auckland Council pre-election survey gauges awareness of the upcoming local election, voter attitudes, and whether people intend to vote.
About three-quarters of people indicated they would participate in the election.
Ninety-two per cent of people aged 65 and older said they would vote, while only 64.1 per cent of people aged between 18 and 24 said they would take part.
Auckland Council General Manager Democracy Services, Marguerite Delbet, says, traditionally, more people say they intend to vote than actually do.
“We have a dedicated elections team working to make sure Aucklanders follow through with their intentions.
“We’ll be announcing a number of initiatives over the coming weeks designed to get Aucklanders voting.”
The survey also shows Aucklanders are overwhelmingly against lowering the voting age to 16.
