Letters: You can help save democracy

Time to take a stand and vote.

They say we get the government we deserve. We usually do, and this is not the government we should have, because only just over 75 per cent of us voted.

The other 25 per cent were too lazy to bother, and in not doing so do not give us a true democratically elected government- by (all) the people for (all) the people.

In the last three elections voter turnout averaged only about 77 per cent. In fact, 690,892 voters did not bother to cast a vote in the 2014 election. Add to this figure the number of spoiled or blank votes and there could (should) have been another 700,000 votes to help choose our government.

This is not good enough. There are only excuses for not voting, not reasons.

For example, it won't make any difference. How will we ever know unless everyone votes?
Once they are in power they do what they want, not what we want. MMP has helped control this, but is MMP working as it should, or does it need adjusting? (That's for a different discussion).

I don't know anything about the parties or the candidates; why don't you find out? You're not brain dead.

Think, even if these missing votes were only registered for party votes, what a different make-up of parliament we might have had.

It's true, governments try to please everybody, but in doing so either act in the extreme or please no one. What a difference those other 700,000 votes could make to the running of this country. It is those 700,000 people that give us the governments we do not deserve.

So, let's all get out there this September and vote, help elect the government we want, and ensure we are all represented in the next Parliament.

The same problem is seen in the local body elections for council and community boards, only it is worse. In the Far North District only 37 per cent of eligible voters gave us our present council and community boards. That is not how democracy is supposed to work.

It is no wonder they never seem to do what the community want them to. We are regularly ignored, and they calmly carry on doing what they want to or what the employed staff tell them to. Many would not make it in the real business world, even though they have university degrees or other qualifications.

They are guilty of not seeing the big picture, and spend all their time finding reasons (excuses) why they can't do what we want.

Again, excuses abound as to why we do not vote, but, as in central government, there is only one reason - laziness. Yes, the non-voters say they are too busy and we should have on-line voting (mainly the younger generation), and we do have postal voting for council, but also many claim not to know anything about the candidates to be able to cast a sensible vote. (But a non-vote is not a sensible vote).

A group is working on changing this so we can get a good turnout of voters in the 2019 local body elections and to ensure we have people worth voting in. You will hear more about this later in the year, but in the meantime, do get out and vote for the government on September, 23.

Remember - central government has much control over local councils (you only have to think of the Auckland super-city shambles), so we must use our right to vote in both elections.

IAN MCGOVERN
Kerikeri