This page about the NZ national parliamentary election, is added 15 October 2008. This page relates to New Zealand citizens and the New Zealand election that is being held at present. I am including this item on this web site, because I know that quite a few New Zealand citizens live in the Armadale area, in Western Australia, and in Australia, and some do not know either that an election is being held in New Zealand, or that they may be able to register to vote, and, to vote, in the election.
From the web page at
http://www.stuff.co.nz/vote08/4724032a28478.html
,
"Kea New Zealand is running a campaign to encourage
eligible New Zealanders overseas to enrol and vote in the November
election. Of the 500,000 or so Kiwis overseas just 28,000 voted in
2005.
New Zealand citizens can vote from any where in the world
if they have visited New Zealand within the previous three years.
They can enrol up until the day before the election. They will then
be able to download voting papers."
One thing for
eligible Kiwi's to consider, is that the unregistered people who are
eligible to register and vote, could significantly change the
election outcome.
For example, polling shows that the New
Zealand First Party does not have enough support to win any seats in
the parliament, having only 3-4 percent of the vote, and requiring 5
percent to win list seats, and Kiwi's who live outside New Zealand,
could easily, significantly, change the number of list votes won by
the New Zealand First Party, or for any party, and cause the party to
win list seats that it might not otherwise win, so that that party,
or any other minor party, might get elected to the parliament, or,
win more seats in the parliament, due to the votes of Kiwi's living
outside New Zealand.
On the NZ Electoral Commission web page
at http://2005.electionresults.govt.nz/partystatus.html
, is stated that the total number of votes cast in the 2005 NZ
parliamentary election, was 2,286,190. So, one percent of that, is
about 23,000. Now, the number of Kiwi's living outside NZ, who may be
eligible to vote, is about 500,000, which is about 16 percent of the
total number of eligible voters. That means that, for example, if ten
percent of those people eligible to vote, living outside NZ, who are
not already registered to vote, register and vote in the elections,
for example, in list or Party votes for the NZ First Party, that
could mean that, instead of the NZ First Party not winning any seats
in the election, it could win enough of the party vote, for example,
about 5-6 percent, again, to win 7 list seats again, and, that could
possibly mean that the government that is formed, could again be a
Labour government, with a support and confidence agreement, again,
with the NZ First Party. Also, if, for example, that same number of
voters living outside NZ, register, and, vote in electorates, for
Labour Party electorate candidates, that could prevent the National
Party from winning some of the electorate seats, and could prevent
the National Party from winning government.
This is just a
possible scenario, that could result from only ten percent of
unregistered voters living outside NZ, registering to vote, and,
voting in the election.
Think of the possible difference, if
all of the 500,000 potential voters living outside NZ, register to
vote, and, vote in the election.
And, think of the benefits
that influencing the election outcome could have, for Kiwi's living
outside NZ; it could result in better provision of services by a NZ
government, for Kiwi's living outside NZ, like more consulates,
better provision of passports, etc.
If you are a New Zealand
citizen, and if you care about New Zealand, or care about relatives
or friends who live in New Zealand, then you should ensure that you
register and vote in the election.
Remember, if you are
eligible to register to vote, and, thence to vote, and, you do not
cast a valid vote, you are as responsible for whatever decisions are
made by the government in the future, as the people who vote for the
members of the government. It is your responsibility to register to
vote, and to cast a valid vote.
If you are eligible to register to vote, and, to vote, you have up to and including the day before the voting day, to register.
For more information about registering to vote,
see