Political party zealots like Ben struggle to understand why people don't bother to vote, and far more esteemed political scientists than Ben and I also ponder this phenomenon.
Public choice theory states that given there is only a tiny probability that one vote will ever change the outcome of an election, it would therefore be irrational for people to bother voting at all. This theory is obviously wrong, given that the vast majority still vote, even when it's not compulsory.
The cynical suggest New Zealanders are just an apathetic bunch, but I don't subscribe to that theory either.
Another theory is that people abstain from voting because they feel alienated and that no political party represents their ideas. Ben would argue that, as long as you agree with 70 per cent of what a political party stands for, that's enough to vote for that party.
But what about those polarising issues that are extremely important to you?
For example, your party supports protecting the environment which you vehemently agree with, but also has a policy that says you must work until you are 75, which you vehemently disagree with. Yet one of the other parties has a retirement policy that is more conducive to your way of thinking, but is happy for mining to take place in the middle of one of our most pristine national parks. How can you bring yourself to vote for either?
What people like Ben don't understand is that every political party represents something most of us agree with, but voting in New Zealand is a package deal - bundled policies. We have no way to cherry-pick the policies the majority of us feel would be best for New Zealand.
The fact is that politicians are always making policies that adversely affect some particular minority, be that young people, elderly people, unemployed people or rich people.
In the past politicians have even tried to ban homosexuals from teaching in schools; tried to ban political parties (like the Communist party); and even taxed Chinese immigrants excessively when they wanted to immigrate to New Zealand.
The bottom line is that our politicians don't listen to New Zealanders.They have their own agenda.
We simply cannot trust them on every decision.
Until voters have a political tool to ensure politicians must listen to New Zealanders, it would seem logical to me that the only way they have to protest, and demand change, is to abstain from voting.
There are, of course, other political options. You could vote for one of the minor parties that offers a political tool like binding referendums. New Zealand First and Winston Peters had their chance to press for such a tool when previously in a coalition government, yet failed to make this a bottom-line policy while enjoying the baubles of office.
The New Zealand Conservative Party have binding referendums as their party policy and have said it is a bottom-line policy in any coalition agreement if they get representation in Parliament.
Perhaps the title of P.J. O'Rourke's book is worthy of consideration: Don't Vote, it Just Encourages the Bastards.
Steve Baron is a Wanganui based political scientist, co-editor of the book People Power and the Founder of Better Democracy NZ
