Festival of Democracy

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gzt

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#152204 19-Sep-2014 13:19

Today Friday is the last day for voting enrollment. You can still go to postshop or submit a scanned signed form online. Possibly up to midnight online(?). After the late enrollment you don't need a card to vote they will check your details later and count it as a special vote.

Saturday is the last day for voting - aka voting day.

Imho voting day and the day before should be public holidays but the introduction of freely available advance voting has mellowed my views on that a bit. Imho flexible/changing work arrangements are one reason for a drop in voting participation and a public holiday may contribute to a change there.

Should voting day become a public holiday?

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#1132120 19-Sep-2014 13:30

I agree. Have voting day on a fixed date every 3 years, make it a public holiday mid-week - 3rd Wednesday in Sept for eg. That avoids politicians mucking about with snap-elections etc and makes it easy to avoid scheduling an All Blacks match for the same day. Make it mid-week to avoid too many people making it a long weekend and going on holiday.

Jaxson

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#1132121 19-Sep-2014 13:31

I fear I don't share your complete belief in, and celebration of, the democratic process. I'm not advocating for a dictatorship, but I'm not particularly impressed with over 100 MP's acting like children in parliament, passing laws regardless of public opinion, and future planning for just 3 years out before another group takes office and heads in a different direction. Under MMP the two 'major' parties have mellowed to be quite similar now, both aiming to capture the middle ground biggest group of voters, and relying on the fringe parties to capture the lost votes of the staunch outliers of far left and right voters.

I've voted already.
I am surprised that those rules still apply about not being able to campaign 'on election day' when anyone can go an vote in the week leading up to the election. 'Election Day' is now actually the 'last day of the election'. Scrutineers are still allowed to wear lapels and colours/ribbons etc of their associated party, actually in the voting area? ~come on!

I'm for another holiday in the mid to mid/late period of the year as we're quite short in there, and it's depressing over winter to not have a day off. Might as well go with a week off though given that's how long the election last now?

heapsort

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#1132140 19-Sep-2014 14:00

While election day is not a holiday, the law has provision of paid leave to vote.

Anyone who works on election day and does not have a reasonable opportunity to vote before starting work must be allowed to leave by 3pm or have two hours away from work during the day, with full pay in either case.

At least that's how I understand it. Not a lawyer...

Geektastic

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#1132158 19-Sep-2014 14:39

gzt: Today Friday is the last day for voting enrollment. You can still go to postshop or submit a scanned signed form online. Possibly up to midnight online(?). After the late enrollment you don't need a card to vote they will check your details later and count it as a special vote.

Saturday is the last day for voting - aka voting day.

Imho voting day and the day before should be public holidays but the introduction of freely available advance voting has mellowed my views on that a bit. Imho flexible/changing work arrangements are one reason for a drop in voting participation and a public holiday may contribute to a change there.

Should voting day become a public holiday?

I think we should move to some form of electronic voting and have a whole week available when the machines (which could be anywhere you like) are 'on line'.

The SmartGate passport tech could easily be adapted to confirm voter ID and prevent multiple voting attempts.

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#1132163 19-Sep-2014 14:45

does the EC ensure that voters don't vote twice? what is there to prevent that?

Geektastic

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#1132169 19-Sep-2014 14:51

joker97: does the EC ensure that voters don't vote twice? what is there to prevent that?

The obvious answer would be biometrics.

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#1132173 19-Sep-2014 14:53

Jaxson: I fear I don't share your complete belief in, and celebration of, the democratic process. I'm not advocating for a dictatorship, but I'm not particularly impressed with over 100 MP's acting like children in parliament, passing laws regardless of public opinion, and future planning for just 3 years out before another group takes office and heads in a different direction. Under MMP the two 'major' parties have mellowed to be quite similar now, both aiming to capture the middle ground biggest group of voters, and relying on the fringe parties to capture the lost votes of the staunch outliers of far left and right voters.

I've voted already.
I am surprised that those rules still apply about not being able to campaign 'on election day' when anyone can go an vote in the week leading up to the election. 'Election Day' is now actually the 'last day of the election'. Scrutineers are still allowed to wear lapels and colours/ribbons etc of their associated party, actually in the voting area? ~come on!

I'm for another holiday in the mid to mid/late period of the year as we're quite short in there, and it's depressing over winter to not have a day off. Might as well go with a week off though given that's how long the election last now?

Yes.

Benign dictatorship is better but harder to achieve.

3 years is too short a period between elections I think. 4 or 5 would be better.

geekiegeek

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#1132174 19-Sep-2014 14:53

Enforce compulsory enrolment and voting. Fine those that don't participate.

I think if everyone voted we would possibly have a very different make-up of parties in parliament.

Seakiwi

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#1132191 19-Sep-2014 15:16

joker97: does the EC ensure that voters don't vote twice? what is there to prevent that?

The method used for the last 40 odd years to detect multiple votes by one person was:

When you vote your name is crossed of in the electoral roll of the polling booth you vote at . The rolls from each polling place are returned to the central office for each electorate and the first job completed by electoral staff after voting day has always been "calling the rolls".

Each line crossed off in a polling place is called to a central roll for that electorate where it is marked as having voted. Any dual votes are picked up this way, there are always some in my experience.

The votes cast by anyone found to have multiple voted are all marked invalid and not counted. Remember each vote can be found as the page and line number from the roll are written on the butt of the numbered voting paper. The numbers are obscured on the voting paper itself (we used to stick a different coloured sticker over the number for each booth within each polling place to allow votes to be counted at the booth that issued them)but a particular number or numbers can be found and removed as you know which polloing place the votes were cast at.

I worked in various capacities on election day from the late 60s through to the 90's.

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#1132196 19-Sep-2014 15:26

geekiegeek: Enforce compulsory enrolment and voting.

Thanks, that reminded me of my other pet peeve. Why the h3ll do you need to enrol to vote?

They take my tax, manage to find me if I speed, issue me with a birth certificate, know my date of birth (and sex) which doesn't change that often.

If you're over the voting eligibility age then I suspect the government already knows about it.

Linking to a region for the local representative seems the only thing I can see. Just ask the council, they take my rates. What are the rules about eligibility to vote in a local representative? Whole thing seems a bit naff to me really.

I guess the Maori angle is in there also, but presumably you are registered elsewhere to prove that connection already previously etc.

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#1132208 19-Sep-2014 15:58

geekiegeek: Enforce compulsory enrolment and voting. Fine those that don't participate.

Yikes, that's a LOT of semi-conscious twits that I probably DON'T actually want to have a say in how our country is run.

I'm contemplating NOT voting, for the first time ever - simply because we don't have a "vote of no confidence" option.

Yeah yeah, our forefathers fought for blah blah, democracy and freedom blah blah blah, some countries don't have this luxury etc etc etc...
But that also means I have the freedom to choose not to vote, and not be made to feel stink about it.

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#1132212 19-Sep-2014 16:08

Geektastic: Yes.

Benign dictatorship is better but harder to achieve.

3 years is too short a period between elections I think. 4 or 5 would be better.

Benign dictators are in short supply, and tend to become non-benign dictators.
They also tend to prolong their own terms of office.
President For Life anybody?

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#1132216 19-Sep-2014 16:14

Jaxson:
geekiegeek: Enforce compulsory enrolment and voting.

Thanks, that reminded me of my other pet peeve. Why the h3ll do you need to enrol to vote?

They take my tax, manage to find me if I speed, issue me with a birth certificate, know my date of birth (and sex) which doesn't change that often.

If you're over the voting eligibility age then I suspect the government already knows about it.

Linking to a region for the local representative seems the only thing I can see. Just ask the council, they take my rates. What are the rules about eligibility to vote in a local representative? Whole thing seems a bit naff to me really.

I guess the Maori angle is in there also, but presumably you are registered elsewhere to prove that connection already previously etc.

Totally agree. A passport ought to be enough. Just stamp it Voted!

Geektastic

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#1132232 19-Sep-2014 16:17

Sideface:
Geektastic: Yes.

Benign dictatorship is better but harder to achieve.

3 years is too short a period between elections I think. 4 or 5 would be better.

Benign dictators are in short supply, and tend to become non-benign dictators.
They also tend to prolong their own terms of office.
President For Life anybody?

Exactly why I'm happy with HMQ as HOS.

I don't fancy President W Peters…!!!

Seakiwi

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#1132258 19-Sep-2014 16:44

Geektastic:Totally agree. A passport ought to be enough. Just stamp it Voted!

But which passport?

You don't need a NZ Passport to vote and you can hold multiple passports eg my wife has both a UK and an NZ passport.

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