"When they've passed toilet training?"

Well one of the main arguments for lowering the age to 18 was that 18 yr olds could be forced to fight and die due to government policy and therefore they have a right to determine that policy.

Foetuses also die due to government policy. I say we lower the voting age to negative 1. If the dead can vote Green, why not the not-yet-born.

It's time to rid the environment of the Greens !

Actually, the military age whine is bullshite. There is no compulsion for anyone at all to join the military. It was OK to use the excuse when MALES ONLY could be conscripted during the Vietnam war. Even then, being 18 didn't mean that people were ready to vote, and there was no reason to allow teenage females to vote: they weren't forced into military service.

There is absolutely no sane reason to allow 16 year olds to vote. It is only the Leftists who want it, because they know kids are still stupid enough to fall for the Marxist advertising.

I wonder why the left in NZ are suddenly pushing this 'idea'?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/05/support-for-jacinda-ardern-and-nz-labour-sinks-to-lowest-since-2017-poll-shows

They are of coarse doing it for purely noble reasons. Nothing to do with falling support, no sireee.

I wonder why the Right are pushing against lowering
the Voting Age to 16? What are they afraid of and why
is this initiative being looked at as a Labor Party
and "Green Extremist" initiative? Assoc. Prof. Faith
Gordon from ANU says that young people are wrongly
stereotyped as lacking political and moral judgement.
She says that these stereotypes are not grounded in any
credible evidence and are due to misrepresentation in the
media.

Apparently this legislation would be consistent with moves
in many jurisdictions around the world to reduce the
voting age and with human rights law.

A large number of countries including Austria, Estonia,
Istael, Malta, to just name a few have reduced the voting
age to 17 or in some to 16.

If this was to happen in Australia it will provide youth
participation and acknowledge their right to be heard
in matters affecting their lives. Perhaps that's what the
nay-sayers are afraid of? Again a case of fear and losing
what they think they have. Just as with giving our
Indigenous people a Voice to Parliament.

Thankfully the nay-sayers are becoming a minority and will become
even more so if young people are given the right to have their
say.

It seems to me the voting age should coincide with the age an adult assumes legal responsibility for his life.
That is when he should take on some responsibility for his community as well?
My view is that the present 18 years is too low: twenty plus would be better.
Higher education and awareness is not a substitute for the wisdom gained by those few extra years.
I see that in Queensland there is a move to raise the age of criminal responsibility.
A wise move?
Is it time to stop the downward trend in other areas too?
Or will we see young children of kindergarten age lining up at polling booths?
And worse still, occupying cells at the local police station?
For goodness sake let us start being realistic.
Children need to grow up first, and complete their 'childhood apprenticeship', before taking on the world.
We don't let partly qualified persons do any job requiring a fully qualified person, do we?
Would you allow first year medical students to perform complicated operations on you or your friends?
So, just for once, let us be very realistic?