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Youth participation > Kids Voting
Kids Voting
Did you know that over 15,000 school students will cast their vote for the Parliamentary elections this year?
Kids Voting is an exciting new initiative to raise awareness among
young people about New Zealand’s electoral processes. It gives
Year Nine students the opportunity to participate in an authentic
voting experience. Students vote for real candidates, on a real
ballot paper, and compare the results from the Kids election with the
results of the real election.
In New Zealand, as in most developed democracies, voter turnout is
falling and levels of political engagement are low among young
people. Building first-hand experience of active participation by
young people will increase their personal understanding, belief and
confidence in electoral participation. Kids Voting aims to engage
the voters of the future.
In October 2007, 83 schools and over 8,000 students took part in Kids
Voting for the local government elections. 43 city and district
councils actively supported the initiative. Held nationally
for the first time, Kids Voting was an opportunity for the voters and
leaders of the future to understand the voting process.
Feedback from students who took part in the programme indicates it was
successful not only in demystifying the electoral process, but also in
emphasising the importance of voting to make their voices heard.
Kids Voting is happening again in 2008 in conjunction with the
Parliamentary elections. We already have over 15,000 students in
over 100 schools registered to take part in early June, so we expect
Kids Voting to be even bigger and better in its second year.
Kids Voting is part of the “Growing Active Citizens project”,
coordinated by Local Government New Zealand with support from a range
of central and local government partners. The project aims to
increase active participation in decision-making locally, regionally
and nationally by developing a range of resources to support
citizenship education for young people in schools.
You can find out more about the Kids Voting programme and the 2007 results at www.kidsvoting.org.nz.
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