Demeny voting
Encyclopedia
Demeny voting refers to the idea of providing a political voice for children by allowing parents or guardians
to vote on their behalf. The term was coined by Warren C. Sanderson in 2007. Under a Demeny voting system, each parent would cast a proxy vote, worth half a vote, for each of their dependent children, thus allowing for a split vote if the parents' political views differ. Once children reach the minimum voting age
, their parents would no longer vote on their behalf.
Paul Demeny who came up with the idea in 1986. Demeny argued that children "should not be left disenfranchised for some 18 years: let custodial parents exercise the children's voting rights until they come of age". Demeny's motivation behind proposing such a system was to "make the political system more responsive to the young generation's interests" and was part of a broader set of policy proposals aimed at combatting the low fertility rate
in certain countries.
The idea however is older than that. It was regularly discussed in France in the 1920s and was almost adopted by the National Assembly.
In 2003, Germany
had a vote on whether to introduce Demeny voting but it was defeated, being discussed again in 2008. Demeny voting has the term Kinderwahlrecht in German.
Japan
has had a discussion about Demeny voting as a possible answer to its demographic problem
where the population is dramatically skewed in favour of the elderly to the detriment of the young. This follows the publication of a paper by Reiko Aoki of the Centre for Intergenerational Studies at Hitotsubashi University
and Rhema Vaithianathan of the University of Auckland
. On March 2, 2011, the Centre for Intergenerational Studies at Hitotsubashi University hosted a conference on Demeny voting.
In Hungary
, the ruling coalition has been advocating Demeny voting, but admitted in April 2011 that it probably won't happen for some time.
.
Stefan Olsson argues that "the delegation of the children's right to vote is not any stranger than when adults delegate political authority to their elected representative. After the election, the representatives have the right to make use of this authority." (page 71). He suggests that delegating a child's authority to the parent is perfectly reasonable. Olsson also argues that there are other areas where parents are delegated authority such as what the child eats, where he goes to school, and children are regularly represented in a court of law by parents. He says that "Arguing that parents cannot act as their children's representative because they might abuse their position becomes absurd in comparison to all the other powers parents already have over their children." (page 72).
It has been suggested it would make it harder for elderly voters to vote in governments that borrow money for their benefit but which will only be paid back by future generations.
It may ensure that the needs of children are better taken into account, such as education, childcare and healthcare for the young.
It could make governments more ecologically conscious as younger people will be more affected by poor environmental policy than older voters.
Extending the vote to children may increase their involvement in politics encouraging children to grow up to be more active citizens.
Some writers argue that like marrying or making a will, voting is an exercise of the informed will and cannot legitimately be done by proxy. Others have argued that with the right to vote comes the obligations of citizenship such as military service. Since children do not have those obligations, then they should also not have the rights.
Some people worry that the power of older votes will be diluted and the interests of children might be prioritised above those of the elderly.
Some commentators have argued that parents cannot be trusted to vote on behalf of their children's interests and would more likely simply vote for their own interests, and therefore simply lowering the voting age to 13 or 14 or lower would be more beneficial as many children are able to express complex opinions at that age.
Jon Elster
has argued that if the justification for Demeny is on the basis of consequences then why not vote directly on the consequences rather the constitution. His point is to that to advance Demeny voting on the grounds that it leads to desirable consequences is pointless, since it will be blocked by exactly those groups who will block the desired consequences (e.g. raising pension age).
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
to vote on their behalf. The term was coined by Warren C. Sanderson in 2007. Under a Demeny voting system, each parent would cast a proxy vote, worth half a vote, for each of their dependent children, thus allowing for a split vote if the parents' political views differ. Once children reach the minimum voting age
Voting age
A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain to be eligible to vote in a public election.The vast majority of countries in the world have established a voting age. Most governments consider that those of any age lower than the chosen threshold lack the necessary...
, their parents would no longer vote on their behalf.
History
Demeny voting is named after the demographerDemography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
Paul Demeny who came up with the idea in 1986. Demeny argued that children "should not be left disenfranchised for some 18 years: let custodial parents exercise the children's voting rights until they come of age". Demeny's motivation behind proposing such a system was to "make the political system more responsive to the young generation's interests" and was part of a broader set of policy proposals aimed at combatting the low fertility rate
Total Fertility Rate
The total fertility rate of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime, and she...
in certain countries.
The idea however is older than that. It was regularly discussed in France in the 1920s and was almost adopted by the National Assembly.
In 2003, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
had a vote on whether to introduce Demeny voting but it was defeated, being discussed again in 2008. Demeny voting has the term Kinderwahlrecht in German.
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
has had a discussion about Demeny voting as a possible answer to its demographic problem
Population ageing
Population ageing or population aging occurs when the median age of a country or region rises. This happens because of rising life expectancy or declining birth rates. Excepting 18 countries termed 'demographic outliers' by the UN) this process is taking place in every country and region across...
where the population is dramatically skewed in favour of the elderly to the detriment of the young. This follows the publication of a paper by Reiko Aoki of the Centre for Intergenerational Studies at Hitotsubashi University
Hitotsubashi University
is a national university specialised in the social sciences in Tokyo, Japan. The University has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Kanda.Hitotsubashi is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in Japan. It is ranked 25th in the world in 2011 by École des Mines de Paris.Hitotsubashi...
and Rhema Vaithianathan of the University of Auckland
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
. On March 2, 2011, the Centre for Intergenerational Studies at Hitotsubashi University hosted a conference on Demeny voting.
In Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the ruling coalition has been advocating Demeny voting, but admitted in April 2011 that it probably won't happen for some time.
Advantages
Aoki and Vaithianathan argue that Demeny Voting is justified because it reduces gerontocracy. They calculate that Demeny voting in Japan would increase the parent voting bloc to 37% and lower the over 55 year old voter-bloc to 35%..
Stefan Olsson argues that "the delegation of the children's right to vote is not any stranger than when adults delegate political authority to their elected representative. After the election, the representatives have the right to make use of this authority." (page 71). He suggests that delegating a child's authority to the parent is perfectly reasonable. Olsson also argues that there are other areas where parents are delegated authority such as what the child eats, where he goes to school, and children are regularly represented in a court of law by parents. He says that "Arguing that parents cannot act as their children's representative because they might abuse their position becomes absurd in comparison to all the other powers parents already have over their children." (page 72).
It has been suggested it would make it harder for elderly voters to vote in governments that borrow money for their benefit but which will only be paid back by future generations.
It may ensure that the needs of children are better taken into account, such as education, childcare and healthcare for the young.
It could make governments more ecologically conscious as younger people will be more affected by poor environmental policy than older voters.
Extending the vote to children may increase their involvement in politics encouraging children to grow up to be more active citizens.
Disadvantages
Some people see Demeny voting as simply giving parents more votes rather than those votes being cast for the benefit of the children themselves.Some writers argue that like marrying or making a will, voting is an exercise of the informed will and cannot legitimately be done by proxy. Others have argued that with the right to vote comes the obligations of citizenship such as military service. Since children do not have those obligations, then they should also not have the rights.
Some people worry that the power of older votes will be diluted and the interests of children might be prioritised above those of the elderly.
Some commentators have argued that parents cannot be trusted to vote on behalf of their children's interests and would more likely simply vote for their own interests, and therefore simply lowering the voting age to 13 or 14 or lower would be more beneficial as many children are able to express complex opinions at that age.
Jon Elster
Jon Elster
Jon Elster is a Norwegian social and political theorist who has authored works in the philosophy of social science and rational choice theory...
has argued that if the justification for Demeny is on the basis of consequences then why not vote directly on the consequences rather the constitution. His point is to that to advance Demeny voting on the grounds that it leads to desirable consequences is pointless, since it will be blocked by exactly those groups who will block the desired consequences (e.g. raising pension age).