How it works - a refresher

You have two votes. One for your electorate candidate, the other for the party of your choice.

Electorate vote: The electorate candidate with the most electorate votes wins the seat.

Party vote: Your party vote goes to determine what proportion of the 120 seats a party holds in Parliament. For example, if Labour wins 55 per cent of the party vote, it will get roughly 55 per cent of the seats made up of its electorate MPs and those on the list required to make up the correct percentage.

Party lists: Voters cannot determine the order of names on a party list. If one party wins more electorates than the size of its party vote it keeps those "overhang" seats and the size of Parliament increases.

Threshold: A party that fails to pass the 5 per cent threshold on the party vote will get no seats, unless it wins an electorate seat. For example, if Act polls 3 per cent and wins one electorate, it will be awarded 3 per cent of the seats.