Voting in the October 14 election is a chance to choose the people and parties that represent you in Parliament.
With only two months to go until the general election, it’s time to get your ducks in a row to ensure your vote is counted on the big day.
Voting in the October 14 election is a chance to choose the people and parties that represent you in Parliament.
First up, make sure your enrolment details are correct; the Electoral Commission has posted out enrolment update packs to all New Zealanders.
If your details are correct you don’t need to do anything, but if they’re not, go to www.vote.nz or phone 0800 36 76 56 — it takes only five minutes to update them.
Chief electoral officer Karl Le Quesne said it was important people checked their packs to make sure everything was correct.
“We need everyone to check their details are up to date and make any changes needed.
“Make sure you’re enrolled at the address where you live by September 10.
“That way, you’ll get an EasyVote card and information about the election ahead of time, which will make voting easier.”
Everywhere in New Zealand is covered by a general electorate and a Māori electorate.
New Zealand has 65 general electorates and seven Māori electorates.
In Northland, the electorates are Northland, Whangārei and Te Tai Tōkerau.
If you’re enrolled in the Māori electoral roll, you can vote for a candidate standing in the Te Tai Tōkerau electorate, and if you’re enrolled in the general role, you can vote for someone standing in the Northland or Whangārei electorates, depending on where you live.
Many people choose to vote before the official election day, and this is called advance voting.
Advance voting opens aboutd two weeks before election day; this time it’s from October 2.
On election day, Saturday, October 14, head to a polling booth near you; all voting places will be open from 9am to 7pm.
Under MMP, you get two votes.
One is for a party (party vote) and the other for a person standing in your electorate (electorate vote).
Your electorate vote should go to the person you most want to represent you in Parliament. Your party vote should go to the party you want to have the most seats in Parliament.
Massey University professor of politics Richard Shaw said it was important to note that we’re not really choosing the next government on October 14, “we’re choosing the Parliament”.
While the local electorate vote would determine the person who represented their constituency, “the one that counts most is the party vote”, he said.
“Give that to the party you most want to see in power.
“The distribution of votes determines which party finds their way into Parliament.
“The process called “forming the government” involves political parties figuring out how to get to the magic number of 61 votes.”
That’s because New Zealand’s system of voting is called MMP (mixed member proportional), which usually has our government formed by two or more parties.
Shaw said voting was important because it was the Government “who gets to set the rules we live by”.
This includes decisions about everything from tax and benefit rates, to spending on health, education, and roads, along with border control and the country’s defence forces.
People vote “for all sorts of weird and wonderful reasons”, Shaw said.
While young people voting for the first time can find it a bit overwhelming, many people often grew up with strong family influences over which party to choose, he said.
“It’s not that common for people to do a lot of research on different parties and decide on that.
“But if you were that person, there are various ways you can go about it.”
Shaw said to look out for pamphlets about parties and candidates in your letterbox, or check out their websites and messages on social media.
Residents can also read impartial articles in mainstream media and attend candidates’ public meetings.
Northland
Mark Cameron: Act
Shane Jones: NZ First
Matt King: Democracy NZ
Grant McCallum: National
Reina Tuai Penney: Greens
Willow-Jean Prime (incumbent): Labour
Te Tai Tōkerau
Kelvin Davis (incumbent): Labour
Maki Herbert: Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi: Te Pāti Māori
Hūhana Lyndon: Greens
Whangārei
Rick Bazeley: Greens
Gavin Benney: NZ First
Susy Bretherton: Act
Diana Burgess: Democracy NZ
Shane Reti: National
Angie Warren-Clark: Labour
* We contacted all registered parties to check whether they had nominated a candidate yet, not everyone responded by publication time.
Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering roading, health, business and animal welfare issues.
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