The voter turnout in the recent 2013 local body election was very low. Raglan and other parts of the Waikato District won the booby prize for the lowest local body voter turnout in New Zealand for two elections in a row with only one eligible voter in three voting. With many people concernd about the low voter turnout across the country the Government has launched an enquiry.
The Justice and Electoral Select Committee will conducting this inquiry into the 2013 Elections. Anybody can make a submission to the inquiry. The terms of reference for this inquiry are to examine the law and administrative procedures surrounding the conduct of the 2013 local authority elections with specific focus on:
- Identification of factors behind the low voter turnout;
- Voting methods and processes;
- Matters in regulations including voting documents and informal votes);
- Methods of increasing voter participation in future local authority elections;
- The appropriateness of the three-week voting timeframe;
- The potential for voter confusion when voters are presented with two voting systems on the same ballot paper;
- The security of, and potential for increased participation as a result of the introduction of electronic voting;
- Identification of other initiatives that would lift voter turnout; and
- Conduct and performance of the electoral institutions including the Electoral Commission.
Submissions can be made online at http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/MakeSub/
Alternatively, they can be sent to the address below. If a submitter wishes to appear before the committee, they need to state this clearly and provide a name, daytime phone number and email address. Submissions generally become public and are published on the Parliament website. For further guidance on making a submission, read the publication Making a submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee on the Parliament website, or contact the secretariat at (04) 817 9469.
Address for correspondence: Education and Science Committee, Parliament Buildings, WELLINGTON 6160.