Steve Baron holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science & Economics. He is a published author, a regular columnist in various publications throughout NZ, the Founder of Better Democracy NZ, a former businessman and Waipa Mayoral candidate.
New Zealand is a progressive nation when it comes to democracy
and politics. Our political system has changed and developed over the past millennium and is nothing like it was back in 1853, when we had our first general election.
Now that we have come to a final decision regarding our electoral system, perhaps now is the time to consider a longer election term? Yes, a scary thought for some, as it is often said that a three-year election term is too short for a good government but too long for a bad government - yet there are many aspects about a longer election term that should be considered and debated if we are to continue to improve our democracy.
There are many advantages to having a longer election term of, say, four or even five years. Some of these advantages include cost savings. Think of all the money that could be saved and used for other things if political parties only had to promote their abilities every five years instead of every three, not to mention the savings in staging elections and employing election staff. Voters wouldn't have totraipse off to polling booths so often, so there would be less inconvenience and maybe, therefore, more of us might take more interest and actually vote. This is an important aspect given such a low voter turnout at the last election - a very concerning trend which is only getting worse.
A longer election term would also give a government more time to implement its policies, with the prospect of them coming to fruition before the next election, allowing voters to make a more considered decision. As it stands with the three-year term, governments appear to rush through policy early in their term so all the difficult stuff is out of the way before the next election. No doubt this gives them a better chance of re-election because it may be another year or so before the public knows the outcome of earlier policy decisions.
It also helps the business community because they can plan ahead with confidence, having a good idea of what they can expect. When there is no confidence, business people do not invest, and the economy suffers. A longer election term would give business far more certainty.
