Waatea News Column: The People have spoken! But what did they actually say?
The weekends local body elections saw many right wing Mayors and Councillors elected to local body councils around the country.
The people have spoken but what exactly did they say?
The manner in which co-governance and 3 Waters has been weaponized into a race issue no doubt helped the swing to the right, but for me the real issue here is what wasn’t said.
In many parts of the country barely 30% even bothered to vote and I think this apathy needs to be probed and understood because any democratic system where only 40% bother to vote has no true mandate.
We have a local body election process that is run by a private company for profit, not civic engagement.
Postal voting is problematic for many poor people as they bounce from rental to rental.
In Auckland there were barely a dozen locations where people could cast a special vote and most people had trouble locating a post box!
In Countdown I saw a note reminding people that the ballot box there wasn’t for rubbish, which kind of summed up the entire voting process!
While the poor are penalised in local elections that are this structurally inflexible, the wealthy gain extra votes for every property they have in each local electorate.
My fear is that this is rigging a system where the wealthy have a vested interest in voting and the poor are excluded due to the cheaper postal system.
Online voting is not a solution as it allows for hacking of the entire process.
To ensure we are actually making a level playing field for voting, the Electoral Commission should take back the contract to run these elections and ensure nationwide polling booths allowing for 2 weeks early voting capped off by a main day of voting.
That way we ensure the poorest residents gain the same agency as their wealthier, older more affluent neighbours.
Then, and only then, can we know what the voters really want.
First published on Waatea News.
Martyn, I agree with your suggestion in making voting easier for all people.
However, next year at the general election I predict a massive number of Labour voters will stay well away from the ballot box.
Ardern is a fake and we all know it but they will refuse to vote for the alternative as that will be a bridge too far.
Hundreds of thousands of former Labour voters will simply stay on the couch resulting in less than 20 Labour opposition MP’s to face the ACT/ National coalition.
What a ridiculous right wing tory comment from JH. In the last 3 elections the left wing has come to the party. If Luxon can last the distance and handle the pressure of electioneering, then he might be still there at the election. Who wants a fake spin doctor leader and deputy and a do-nothing boring conservative party. Full of grumpy old misogynous hate-Jacinda men. A lot of grumpy old men as Mayors and Councilors around the country too.
So is it correct that landlords get to vote more than once if their rentals are in different wards (electorates)? Not one person one vote? If so the system is truly rigged!
Postal voting is an abomination. We were left waiting until 3 days out from election day for the voting papers, 10 days after calling the electoral commission asking for them. And then the only way to ensure the vote was cast was to take them to the local library. It’s little wonder 70% in Auckland didn’t vote.
Honestly, it’s as if from central government down, they don’t want people voting! Not that I believe anyone in this government would even be aware of the problems, they are so detached from practical reality. And solutions.
Not to mention in Auckland you can’t vote directly for change anyway, to thanks to the way the organisations within council are hands off to councillors, making the entire voting process even more pointless.
Change is so badly needed and now!
Martyn, in the Far North we are close to having the first ever Māori FNDC Mayor–Moko Tepania–a young guy who campaigned hard. I watched with resignation, the East Coast boomers vote count rising as they ensured their privilege, but the tory candidate did not have a huge majority overall. Then the specials put Moko ahead, because he did the tiny communities and obscure places–basically fought for every vote personally.
But, that is not good enough. Though it is great to see John Carter retired and Wayne Brown fucked off from around here–poor Auckland! What about a voting day? where people go to their local school or whatever and actually vote? The Māori Wards have awakened a new interest in political affairs that will only grow in our area at least. Hone Harawira’s wife Hilda is now a Councillor too–look out coots in suits!
Agree TM. Voting day, make it important with schools performing throughout the day and getting photos and names in paper. We’ll all get a boost from voting day then.
And all the other things people have mentioned here.
I couldn’t find enough information about the candidates – lots of waffle about how passionate they feel about their location etc. But what do they know, what do they do for a living, are they interested in only one group of people, where did they go to school, do they support small business and helping youth get job experience and so on?
It was slim pickings alright in our FNDC area, the candidate statements are sleep inducing, including multiple “Passionates”–jolly good then!
Some of the same old bores and reactionaries that have annoyed people for years, e.g. school teacher in early 80s, rugby establishment, occasional contractor–what a hero and suchlike still keep standing because few others do and there are basic reimbursements, a stipend. and per Km vehicle payments and free sausie rolls.
In contrast Māori Ward had 18 new contenders! Te Pati Māori has said don’t expect over a century of exclusion to be turned around in one election–“it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen” and I agree, but it looks positive.
Seems to me that it has been the error of the Labour Party and the Māori Caucus who have weaponised 3 Waters into a race issue. The right has merely pointed out this out and thus been shouted down as racists
Funny Yeti, why were co governance examples started by National( and their partner ACT) not met with the same hysteria? Is it because the opposition weren’t out there stoking fear for the sake of political expedience? It didn’t seem to be racist when it was a National idea.
National owns the media Wheel, end of story.
Should voting be mandatory? In 1924, Australia made mandatory voting the law in a bid to strengthen its democracy. The country also makes voting fun and convenient, with a festival-like atmosphere featuring “democracy sausages.” Evidence suggests compulsory voting gets a greater turnout of the poor and unpropertied, resulting in better representation of the whole community.
https://youtu.be/bQxfnyGY1_U
https://youtu.be/3y_xXZ7paVI
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/201839528/former-pms-support-compulsory-voting-in-nz
Time to trot out the barking mad Western government and media accusations: These elections were an illegitimate SHAM!!
Maybe some of the left-leaning candidates did not get elected, not due to backlash, but because they weren’t actually that good. Efeso Collins probably lost on his own credentials and performance rather than his affiliation and endorsements. His hopes seem be pinned on bringing a new demographic of voters to the polls instead of speaking to those that actually do vote.
With Collins we got his Pasifika backstory, having to teach his daughters about swastikas, breaking down on stage about racism… There was a vision for Auckland, but a lack of nuts and bolts. It’s hard to say that Auckland wanted Mayor Brown either. He initially polled worse than Beck and Molloy, though he became the last one standing. And that was Auckland’s choice, Brown or Collins.
What if it was a question of incumbent Goff vs Brown? Would Goff have secured another term as Auckland mayor? And would his re-election then be seen as an approval of the left and central government? Or would it be that he was just a better candidate than Efeso Collins?
I predicted that Efeso wouldn’t win – he wouldn’t get the pakeha vote. Instead we get a true grumpy old tory man and engineer from the old school – no respect for nature/environment and an ignorance of consultation and Maori values. A lot of grumpy old men as mayors and councilors.
Has voting become meaningless? If Ardern and her unelected henchpeople can just wave their finger and shut down the country over elder flu, then what is the point of voting this way or that? Or if you need 2 million people voting yes for drug reform but only one cop with discretion to decide if you are breaking the drug laws (remember, he might be a racist or even someone with low IQ having a bad day), then can’t we just do away with elected representatives all together?
Typical Ardern.
With the exception of Wellington the left were decimated at the weekend.
Ardern called the voter turnout as low and the need for an inquiry.
She did so before ALL votes were tabulated.
We now know that the voting percentages were the same as 3 years ago.
We have never had over 50% this century.
But because her favorite candidates were slaughtered an inquiry must be undertaken.
Why not one 3 years ago when the left were dominant on similar numbers ?
Simply socialist smoke and mirrors to hide the thrashing that was richly deserved.
But when we spend $65 Billion on a pandemic and thousands die – no such inquiry is required.
And there you have the socialist hypocrisy for all to see.
Beyond appalling.
Frankus–do you really think you can get away with that stinky one?
Gagarin has nailed it.