Napier Boys High School students (left to right) Alex Frechtling, Clive Hook-Pomare and Patrick Doughty will now be able to vote after the Government changed the election date. Photo / Warren Buckland
Napier Boys High School students (left to right) Alex Frechtling, Clive Hook-Pomare and Patrick Doughty will now be able to vote after the Government changed the election date. Photo / Warren Buckland
At 10am on Monday, teenagers Alex Frechtling, Patrick Doughty and Clive Hook-Pomare couldn't vote in the upcoming election.
Ten minutes later, that had changed.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's shifting of election day from September 19 to October 17, means Year 13 Napier Boys High School students Alex Frechtling, Patrick Doughty and Clive Hook-Pomare whosebirthdays fall between the dates will be allowed to vote for the first time.
Frechtling comes from a family of voters, and was watching the Prime Minister's announcement in study time at school.
In the Napier electorate, where Labour MP Stuart Nash is seeking re-election, Frechtling, who turns 18 on October 3 and also has an older sister voting for the first time, said: "I like politics. I have been pretty interested ever since I first found out about how it works."
He had already had an idea which party he might vote for had he already been a registered elector, but now that he is he will take time to find out about the candidates and the parties
Doughty, who turns 18 on September 26, said: "It will be good to have a say. It opens up another option."
He said he will now make more effort to be better informed.
Labour Party Ikaroa-Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri, whose Maori electorate stretches from East Cape through Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa, believes it will also throw a light on the election for those who had already become eligible but who might not have realised the right they have to play a role in the future governance of the country.
MP and Labour Party Ikaroa Rawhiti candidate Meka Whaitiri. Photo / Supplied
The people she calls "the missing voters", who were on the roll in the electorate at the last election but did not vote, numbered over 11,000. Just as many might not be on the roll, and it's likely most aged 18 to24 years are in the throes of only their first or second election.
Anyone aged 18 or over on election day is entitled to vote. While they must be on the roll, legislation now makes it possible for new-voter registration on the day.
"I'm a big supporter for getting our young people to enrol and out to vote," she said.
"Our voting shows the greatest turnouts are in the over 65s, over 80 per cent, but the 18-24 years are at something like 52 per cent.
National Party Napier electorate challenger Katie Nimon was one of those who just missed out when her party swept back into office in 2008. Her 18th birthday was just after that year's November election.
Nimon learned of the new date on Monday while she was at the bank – "the same time as everyone else" – and accepts it was a case of going with the flow.
But she says that at a time when the public is looking for help it allows another four weeks to get to know and support people.
"It's quite exciting," she said.
New Conservative Napier candidate Deborah Burnside reflected on the opportunity for more young people to vote as "awesome".
New Conservative Napier candidate Deborah Burnside said the opportunity for young people was "awesome" for those showing more interest, and appreciated that it's a "good news" situation emerging from the Covid-19 crisis which forced the decision to change the date.
She was the first candidate to show a hand in the Napier race for 2020, and said it had been disappointing several campaign events had to be cancelled, but they could be rescheduled. "I have been campaigning the whole time anyway."
