2020 Election Date has been announced – why for the sake of democratic participation it should be a mid week public holiday
Jacinda has announced the 2020 Election Date and it is September 19th.
Great, but as our participation rate continues to slip, I believe we urgently need to consider a new unique approach to our election day.
Academic research tells us that online voting will not lift participation rates, and the ease of hacking them mean they can never be acceptable, but I believe making the election a mid week public holiday could save our democracy and give us something to celebrate.
We complain so much in this country about not having a day we can celebrate as NZers because many people feel anxious about the conflict of Waitangi Day.
Why not search for that which binds us and celebrate that?
Election Day should be a celebration because we are one of the few privileged nations around the planet that allows political leadership to change hands minus violence and repression.
More than 2.7bn people live in an authoritarian regime, the bottom tier of the @TheEIU‘s Democracy Index https://t.co/HSLla7xPa6 pic.twitter.com/6yQegr8g0b
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) January 22, 2020
Our exercising of the right to vote peacefully is celebration in itself and making it a mid week public holiday would do more for participation rates than any single thing we could do.
Postal voting is a failure, online isn’t trust worthy, an old fashioned polling day with early voting that culminates in a mid week public holiday that everyone can celebrate would bind us and build us like no other idea could.
Imagine a mid week day where the whanau gather and go to vote while gathering at each others homes for the results. We could celebrate our democracy and celebrate us as a people.
We are only talking about 2 Election Days once every 3 years (a local government vote and a central government vote) so any argument that we couldn’t afford the loss of productivity is bullshit.
We need an out of the box idea, not more tinkering at the edges.
Our democracy is precious, it’s worth celebrating, and enabling participation is crucial to its survival and mandate. Making the election day a public holiday Wednesday is how we cement into place the importance of voting.
Our democracy is precious, it’s worth celebrating, and enabling participation is crucial to its survival and mandate. Making the election day a public holiday Wednesday is how we cement into place the importance of voting.
I wholeheartedly agree that our voting day should be celebrated, and people, including children, should be educated about it – as in, should be given all that they need to fully understand the value of what we have, and of how vital it is to protect this.
…’ Imagine a mid week day where the whanau gather and go to vote while gathering at each others homes for the results. We could celebrate our democracy and celebrate us as a people ‘…
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Look , back in the 1970’s when I was a child, young person, election night was a tussle of dashed expectations and jubilant triumph. It had a carnival atmosphere.
Violent riots and vote rigging and skulduggery were not to be seen.
And nor did we want it to be present. We abhorred that and looked down on that as something less advanced society’s did.
There was the telephone call to the victor to the vanquished, and it was all conducted ( albeit in a spirit of disappointment to the vanquished ) in a ‘gentlemanly ‘ ( or in today’s world a gentle- womanly ) sense of fair play. There were no ifs , buts or maybes. No Dirty Politics, no smarmy backbiting, no media talking heads to spread bias’s… just a carnival atmosphere celebration of actually having the joy of voting in a free democracy.
I’m happy with the idea of a mid week holiday, around the barbie perhaps.
And lets not get all nasty about it.
Mind you,… if we get rid of NEO LIBERALISM we just might have a chance at restoring civility in elections and politics once more.
What say you?
Yup, great idea Martyn. I’d love another paid day off as well. Lots of hype and promo leading up would be required to inform and fire up the non voters. How much celebrating if the natzos get in? Would be bloody depressing crying in my beer!
For every woke radical leftie Jacinda turns away she can can pick up 2, maybe 3 disaffected National Party voters in the cities. Bring it on.
To brighten things a bit…a remastered song from the King of Cool , Dean Martin.
‘When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s Amore’
OR :
When you swim in the sea and an eel bites your knee , that’s a moray,…
Toes go tinga linga ling….
As your thigh drops from your knee you know that you need to get up above…
As your blood pressure lowers , you know that’s a moray…
And its possible to see that your lost severed knee sinks straight down to the sea
And that’s a moray !
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Sorry guys,… was listening to a Dean Martin song and the first line was made by some wag out there on you tube comments. I just added to it.
I’ll shut up then.
it is interesting she has chosen September 19th as that is talk like a pirate day and as all politicians act like buccaneers raping and pillaging it just that some do it more than others.