News

Voter enrolment statistics as at 20 July 2014 reveal that Dunedin North is one of the worst electorates in terms of 18-24-year-old voter enrolments. With just 51.35 per cent of the young population enrolled, Dunedin North is only better than the 35.47 per cent of Auckland Central. National enrolment is currently at 68.86 per cent.

Given the density of 18-24-year-olds in the Dunedin North area, the lack of voter enrolment could point to two issues. Dunedin North MP David Clark highlights the first, “a lot of students have chosen to enrol at parents’ addresses. For many, it is their most stable contact point for ‘official’ mail during their student years.” This in itself poses problems for voter turnout on Election Day, as it could mean these students are unable to vote in Dunedin North when they arrive at the polling booth to do so. This year’s election takes place during the semester, making it especially important that students are enrolled in Dunedin North.

Second, this statistic could be indicative of a larger youth engagement problem. Despite numerous campaigns to push for enrolment of university students, such as RockEnrol, Get Out and Vote, Vote Maori Vote, and the official government enrolment campaign, youth enrolments still appear low. The Internet Party has also pushed for voter turnout, with its “Party Party” tour framed as “one big party inspired by getting the youth out to VOTE!” The diversity of the strategies employed to engage voters shows the urgency of their message.

Clark considers it “a real shame” that enrolment overall is low. He says that the age group is “at a life-stage when many people are actively thinking about big issues and are likely to bring a thoughtful view to the ballot box.” This could point to disconnect between the voter engagement groups and the voter. It raises questions about whether or not the number of groups has diluted the strength of the message, and if the importance of enrolling to vote has descended into nothing more than background noise. With regards to the way media and advertising is targeted, Clark suggests “voters are bombarded with publications and advertising that is laden with assumptions not necessarily shared by the student population. This can lead to a feeling that ‘politics’ is about someone else.” If the numerous campaigns are to be effective, there is an argument to be made for streamlining the messaging.

“The decisions made by politicians will affect this age bracket longer than any other age at the ballot,” Clark argues. Irrespective of cause, the statistics are a worrying indication of the extent to which Otago students are not connecting with the political dialogue that has been had so far.