Verum yawned. She was bored. “I wonder if there is anything exciting happening in the human world,” Verum thought. She went to her trusty crystal ball and uttered, “What’s happening in the human world today?”
“New Zealand’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country’s voting age of 18 years is unfair,” Verum read out loudly. Her crystal ball showed her the most important news.
“What do you mean?” Scorch said. Verum had spoken too many confusing words at once. They floated around Scorch’s head round and round.
Verum saw her friend’s confusion. She explained, “New Zealand is a country in the Oceania continent.
Every country has courts. They are institutions that take care of law and order in the country. The Supreme Court is the highest court. The decisions of the Supreme Court are final.
The voting age is the minimum age a person must reach before they can vote. In New Zealand, when a person turns 18 years old, they can vote.
Voting is an important part of democracy (a form of government). In a democracy, people can vote and choose their favorite leaders to run the country.”
“Interesting process. But why did New Zealand’s highest court give such a verdict,” Orak spoke thoughtfully.
“There is a special rule in New Zealand. It is called the Bill of Rights. It gives people who are 16 years old and above the right to be free from age discrimination. They cannot be treated unfairly because of their age.
But when it comes to the voting age, they are not allowed to vote. So, the Supreme Court declared it unfair.”
“Has the voting age been lowered?” Scorch said.
“Not yet. Now, the parliament will decide if the age should be lowered. Parliament refers to a body of government with the power to make or change laws,” Verum said.
“The young people of New Zealand must be eager to cast their votes!” Orak remarked.