Despite the obvious point of this House of Representatives election being the issue of slush funds, the turnout was 53.85%, the third lowest in the post-war era. On October 29th, on “Nagano Tomoko Update (Nagano Broadcasting)”, former Nikkan Sports Editor-in-Chief Hayato Kubo talked about why the voter turnout was so low.
Kubo“If you look at the voter turnout figures announced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the disparity between generations is getting bigger every year, and the right to vote for 18-year-olds was introduced in 2016. The highest rate was 71% for those in their 60s, 36% for those in their 20s, and 43% for teenagers.
Nagano“I think it’s a little more expensive for teenagers because they have to be educated about being sovereign, and everyone is telling them that.”
Kubo“What about other countries? For example, the presidential election in South Korea is about 70%, and the general election in the UK is over 60%.”
Nagano“Even with the same parliamentary cabinet system as Japan, it’s still expensive.”
Kubo“Looking at the voter turnout rate among young people in their teens and 20s, in the UK it was 64%, in Germany it was 70%, and in Sweden it was 80%. The awareness of young people is so different. I would like to hear from people who do not vote this time. I interviewed several people online and in the fiercely competitive 11th and 24th wards of Tokyo.The most common reasons given were “I’m busy with work or play,” “There’s no one I want to work with,” and “It’s too much of a hassle.” “I haven’t transferred my resident card.” There were many young people who said that their resident card was in their hometown, so they couldn’t go there.”
Nagano“Actually, if you contact the government office where your resident card is located, they will send it to you.”
Kubo“However, when it comes to exchanging mail, I end up having to declare that I’m going to vote here and then go to that location to vote. It’s quite a hassle. And then there are people who say, “I’m not interested,” or “I don’t want to go.” “There’s no point.” “I don’t know where voting is done.” When I asked them why they didn’t look up that information, they said they wouldn’t go to such lengths to vote.”
Nagano“The location is written on the voting ticket, right?”
Kubo“They don’t even look at their voting tickets.”
In the program, Hayato Kubo also talks about voter turnout. If you want to hear more, please listen to it using radiko’s time free function. We will tell you about it in the “News Update” corner of the program.
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