How the median voter theorem shows the flaws of Singapore’s voter system
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/a-more-equal-voting-system-needed-in-greying-singapore
This article brings light the flaws of the current voting system, specifically in Singapore. In Singapore, the voting system is up for improvement as the population’s older population is influencing modern politics in an unproportional manner. Singapore’s population is known to have a fast aging phenomenon- by 2030 it is predicted that citizens over 65 will populate more than 25% of the population, and only about two working citizens for one elderly citizen. With Singapore’s voting age being 21, this effects the future for the younger population, as the voting system discriminates against the youth. Additionally, with the divergence of viewpoints of the elderly and youth on subjects like housing competition and healthcare, this causes frustration for youth as they are unable to influence policies that are directly effecting them in the future.
This discussion can be further illustrated by a topic covered in class, the median voter theorem. the median voter theorem says that under a majority rule voting system, the outcome of the median voter will prevail. In detail, this means that the “inclusive” politician that matches the ideals of more than 50% of the voters will win against another more extremist politician. However, through this theorem, we can see how this can bring out the flaws of the voting system as the the median voter is not median citizen. As said above, the elderly is makes up a huge fraction of the Singaporean population, while under 21 population have no voting rights. Therefore, we can see how the elderly’s input massively skews the future of politics which effect the younger generation. So, politicians will be more likely to prioritize the elderly’s concerns over the youth. When discussing how to address this issue, people suggest to lower the voting age. However, with studies showing that brains are only fully developed at 25, this may be an unfavorable approach. Other alternatives include given children’s votes to their parents until they are able to vote, so that parents can vote in interest of their children.