Have your say on MMP in November
At the general election on November 26th this year New Zealanders have some big decisions to make – not just voting for a party or candidate, but also how we elect Parliament.
Voters will be asked whether you want to keep MMP, or switch to another system.
The second question asks which of four alternative voting systems you would prefer if we do make a change.
If the majority of people vote to keep MMP then it will remain, but there will be an independent review by the Electoral Commission to look at any changes that might improve how it works.
If the majority of people vote against MMP, then a second referendum will held at the next election in 2014. This will be a choice between MMP and the voting system that gets the most support in the second question in the 2011 Referendum.
There are four alternatives to consider.
• First Past the Post (FPP) is the old system we used in New Zealand before 1996. There is no party vote and no list MPs – you just vote for your local MP, and then Parliament is made up of 120 electorate MPs. It tends to mean the two big parties, National and Labour, get most of the seats.
• Preferential Voting (PV) is similar, except that each voter ranks their candidates in order of preference. Like FPP it means the bigger parties do well and they usually don’t need to form a coalition with smaller parties.
• Single Transferable Vote (STV) divides the country into around 30 big electorates, with three to seven MPs in each. Preferential voting is used, and like MMP it usually means smaller parties are represented and coalition governments are formed.
• Supplementary Member (SM) is almost a halfway-house between MMP and FPP. There are 90 electorates and 30 list MPs, compared to the current 70 electorates and 52 list MPs.
One of the things to consider is what sort of Parliament you’d like to see, as each option will produce a different makeup.
I won’t be campaigning in favour of any option – it’s up to the public to decide.
I will be encouraging people to get informed and have their say, though. You can find more information on all the options at www.elections.org.nz.