Should 18-year-olds vote? Tonga’s youth push for change amid low voter engagement

As Tongan voters head to the polls today, a powerful question is gaining momentum among the kingdom’s young population: should 18-year-olds finally have the right to vote?

With almost half the country’s population under 25 and voter turnout steadily declining, the debate over lowering the voting age has reignited.

This also challenges Tonga to reconsider who gets a say in shaping its future.

Tonga’s Electoral Commissioner, Pita Vuki, says the number of registered voters has continued to rise, but major barriers still exist.

Vuki tells PMN News that 64,707 people have registered to vote in this year’s general election, a slight increase from the 2021 national election.

“There are people coming in as they turn 21. There have been discussions about lowering the voting age, probably in the near future,” Vuki says.

Liahona student, Elenoa Taufu’i. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

Tonga and Sāmoa are the only Pacific nations where citizens must be at least 21 years old to vote.

PMN News spoke with young people in Nuku’alofa to gather their thoughts on the potential change in the voting age.

Elenoa Taufu’i, a 17-year-old student at Liahona High School, believes the voting age should be lowered to 18, as many youth are well-informed about the political climate in Tonga.

Atele College student Sione Mafile'o. Photo/PMN News/Ala Vailala

But Sione Mafile’o, an 18-year-old student at Atele College, says the voting age should remain at 21 because that is a mature age to make decisions about governance.

Dr Malakai Koloamatangi, a Tongan academic, supports lowering the voting age, might get more young people in politics.

“If you start them early enough, then that makes sense, that they will come to know the election process better and early enough for them to be experienced in voting,” Koloamatangi says.

“So I think it's a good idea if you look at it properly and because of the fact that we are a young population, 18 seems to be a reasonable age to allow people to vote.”

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, young people represent 40 per cent of Tonga’s estimated 108,700 population in 2024. But a national study by the Tupou Tertiary Institute revealed that 24 per cent of young people expressed no interest in the elections.

Voter turnout has decreased significantly since 2010, when nine out of 10 Tongans voted, compared to just six out of 10 in 2021, the lowest in a decade.

Listen to Dr Malakai Koloamatangi's full interview here.

Over 5000 Tongans working temporarily overseas are unable to participate in this year’s election because there are no systems in place for citizens abroad to cast their votes.

Vuki says the decision to include Tongans living overseas in elections must be made by lawmakers. “I think there should be a lot of discussion on that because there are more Tongans overseas than in Tonga.”

He says many individuals are on the electoral roll but fail to inform the Electoral Commission about their overseas status, which distorts the voter turnout figures.

“We have to think about something for future elections,” Vuki says.

PMN News Political Reporter 'Alakihihifo Vailala is in Nuku'alofa. PMN Coverage of Tonga Election 2025 is brought to you by the Pacific Business Trust - building strong futures, together.