Palmerston North man explains why he doesn't vote

Low voter turnout concerns politicians. Photo / Bevan Conley

Palmerston North City Council wants more residents voting - it wants the participation rate to rise to 50 per cent over the next two local body elections. The Guardian spoke to one city resident about why he doesn't vote.

Dan is highly educated, has lived in Palmerston North for about a decade and owns a house with his wife.

But the 32-year-old has only voted in one general election and never in a local body election.

The one-off vote came some years ago after his then partner encouraged him to do so.

As Dan started to understand more about the political system and how we, as Joe Bloggs, weigh in on issues of importance, he thought really hard about how he could make his vote count. He thought he should research some issues.

It struck him as strange that he would be making decisions regarding things he didn't know about. Additionally, he wondered if the politicians he would be putting his trust in would execute on issues as they said they would.

He says he needs to know what a candidate stands for, but that line of inquiry quickly devolves into not being sure if his vote will go where he thinks it should.

Dan acknowledges tension between his view that people should have a say in the world and environment they live in and that some people are more qualified to make decisions than others. He says some people are smarter than him and he's quite happy letting them develop solutions.

For now, he is happy to live with the tension rather than try and resolve it. He is a counsellor and says through his job he can actively change people's lives now.

He could spend time thinking about political issues or he could spend time thinking about helping his clients get through the next week.

"I create change in the world quite readily in the way that makes the most sense to me."

Dan is happy to live in a democracy but says everyone should have the right not to vote.

"Everyone should certainly think about everything and come to a decision that makes sense for them."

If there was an issue that really got him riled, he would consider running for a seat, creating a solution in the private sector, or hiring a lobbyist.

Growing up, he noticed his parents voted on what was best for their jobs rather than the country, something that struck him as strange and narrow-minded. Your job could change in a few years or what is right for your current job could change, Dan says.

He devotes his eyeballs to reading academic papers rather than newspapers and news sites, and says: "People view the world very differently based on their fund of knowledge."

We decided to test his political knowledge.

1. Who is the Prime Minister?
He's a big fan but can't remember her name. "Aunty Jacinda" came to him after a pause.

2. Who is the leader of the Opposition?
Judith Collins comes easier to him.

3. Who is the mayor of Palmerston North?
"I have no idea."

4. Who is the Governor-General?
Dan didn't know her name but said she was the first Māori woman to hold the position. Not quite. Dame Patsy Reddy is the incumbent, with Dame Cindy Kiro to replace her in October.

5. When was the last general election?
"Pass."