Some think political parties are pretty much all the same these days.
Really?
For others it’s personal. They remember the late 1980s when thousands of New Zealanders lost their jobs when government departments and other state agencies were disestablished, restructured and downsized.
They are bitter because the promised efficiencies never eventuated.
But the reason I hear the most is “they do what they want to anyway, my one vote won’t count”.
One vote on its own won’t make much of a difference but all votes, when counted, can get the desired result.
Voting, to me, is a no-brainer.
As soon as I was old enough to vote, I did, and have continued to do so at every general election.
I can’t grumble later if I’m upset at something the Government does if I didn’t bother to use one or both of my two votes - one for a party and one for a preferred politician.
I favour representation – no decision about me, without me.
Perhaps some of the recommendations from the electoral system review, released this week, will make the whole voting process more palatable to those who have no time for it at present.
The current Electoral Act is outdated in places and in need of an overhaul.
The independent panel that prepared the report attended 58 public meetings and considered more than 1700 submissions to understand what citizens were concerned about and what they believed should be changed or included in the Act.
Their input would have informed many of the draft recommendations.
The recommendations included lowering the voting age to 16 years.
Young New Zealanders are becoming very aware of, in particular, environmental and climate change issues, they will want to vote for a party they believe will have these front and centre of policy development. I also see a keen sense of social justice in our youth.
This is a recommendation I could support.
I also agree with the recommendation for a four-year term as opposed to the current three-year parliamentary term.
A government has hardly had time to get its feet under the table when it’s time to prepare for the next election.
Good policy takes time to develop, gestate and socialise.
And lowering the party vote threshold from 5 to 3.5 per cent will allow smaller parties a fighting chance of getting into Parliament if they are unable to win an electorate seat. Always difficult when up against the bigger parties in their established electorates.
Donations, how much and from whom, were also areas the panel wanted to see changed for more clarity and fairness, hoping to shift donations and election financing away from wealthy individuals and corporations to more of a broad-based grassroots and community fundraising scene.
The recommendation that I expect will cause the most “righteous indignation” is the recommendation to allow all prisoners to vote. Whether serving less than a three-year sentence or not.
Most countries around the world allow prisoners to vote if imprisoned for less than three to five years.
Germany, on the other hand, allowed all prisoners to vote and encouraged them to do so.
Only those convicted of electoral fraud and crimes undermining the “democratic order” such as treason were barred from voting while in prison.
Other European countries that allowed prisoners to vote included: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Israeli prisoners were also allowed to vote and do not suffer disenfranchisement.
There will be a second round of public consultation until July 17 with the final report expected by the end of the year.
Would the recommendations, if accepted by the Government, do the trick and get more people interested enough to get out and vote?
We can only have a government that is fit for purpose if it is supported by an electoral system that is fit for purpose, and that won’t happen by chance. As citizens, we have to do our bit.
I’m reminded of a man who was berating the Government to me a few years ago.
He was adamant “the Government is bloody useless”. “No wonder I don’t vote,” he shouted.
I don’t think he got it when I said to him: “Who’s bloody useless then?”.
Merepeka Raukawa-Tait has worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Today she writes, broadcasts and is a regular social issues commentator on TV. Of Te Arawa, Merepeka believes fearless advocacy for equity and equality has the potential to change lives.
