Voters as young as 15 could be deciding the next election if some local candidates have their way.
The voting age and a number of other issues were debated at a Meet the Candidates event in Stratford last Tuesday.
Labour's Hamish McDouall and Internet Mana's Grant Keinzley said they supported the age being lowered, with Keinzley saying he would be happy for it to be dropped as low as 15. There was some confusion as he stated "as you can drive at that age, so why not vote". Corrected by members of the audience as to the correct driving age, Keinzley said he still felt the age could be lower than 18.
New Zealand First's Darroch Ball and Green's Robert Moore said that before lowering the voting age, civics should be taught in schools so new voters would understand the system, while National's Barbara Kuriger said she supported the current age of 18.
The event, organised by the Stratford District Youth Council and Stratford Rotary Club, was a chance for local voters to hear from the candidates standing in the Taranaki-King Country, and Whanganui electorates.