THE FRANCHISE
Sir,-I suggest a long-overdue reform in our system of franchise, namely one person, one vote. I refer, of course, to the fact that persons under 21 years have been hitherto entirely disfranchised. This extraordinary injustice is underlined in the case of the older ones by the fact that minors are not considered unfit to represent their country in the Navy, Army and Air Force, They may (through a sort of trustee) sue or be sued in the Courts. They may hold property with or without a_ trustee; they make certain contracts, be entitled to award wages; be subjected to all the penalties of statute .or regulation; are subject to income tax (no taxation without representation). Therefore, sir, is it pot a negation of liberal principles to forbid them the vote? It may be argued that a child of
very tender years cannot vote, but this difficulty is quite illusory — the vote would, of course, be exercised by the natural guardian, the mother. Is there anything absurd in the notion that a mother of seven children should vote eight times? This matter would be more eloquently argued by a representative of one of the women’s organisations, or children’s protection societies or say, a Dr. Edith Summerskill. But I have waited too long and too patiently. So here it is.
JOAN
FOOT
(Eastbourne).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 272, 8 September 1944, Page 7
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223THE FRANCHISE New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 272, 8 September 1944, Page 7
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