Kids Voting

Kids Voting www.kidsvoting.org.nz is an exciting opportunity for New Zealand Year 9 school children to have an authentic experience in local government elections.

Students use their knowledge to vote for the real candidates, the teacher acts as the electoral officer, collects the votes and submits the tally, following the processes used in the actual election.

The results of the Kids Voting are then compared to those of the real election to see how the election results actually turn out!

Kids Voting aims at increasing active citizenship by encouraging a greater understanding of the important role that local government plays in communities. It should build interest, skills and first-hand experience of active participation in civic processes by young people as a way to help increase their personal understanding, belief and confidence in electoral participation.

Kids Voting was run during the 2007 local government elections and the 2008 general election. Find out how Kids Voting will work in 2009 by visiting www.kidsvoting.org.nz.