While political junkies may enjoy all that, a great many ordinary New Zealanders can’t stand it. Personally, I’m somewhere between those two positions. I guess that makes me “discerning”.
New Zealand’s General Election is, technically, on Saturday, November 7, with voting places open from 9am to 7pm. I say “technically” because Advance Voting begins on October 26, so November 7 is actuality the final day to vote. Affecting all that, the current government changed the rules for registering: The last date to register is October 25, where in previous years eligible voters could register and vote up to and including Election Day. In 2020, around 80,000 people enrolled or updated their details on Election Day. In 2023, though, there were 600,000 enrolments or updates after writ day (when the voter rolls are printed), including 450,000 who during the voting period leading up to election day, and 110,000 voted on election day itself.
The surge in registrations/updates in 2023 is what led the current government to change the rules. They argued that the large numbers would grow, and that would add more delay the result being announced. My honest reaction to that was, “so what?!” I believe it’s government’s duty to make it as easy as possible to enrol to vote and then to actually vote. If that takes extra time, it takes extra time. Relax, and let the people have their say. But, then, conservative politicians, it seems. seldom agree with me on all that
Several Members of Parliament in the current coalition expressed disdain for voters who didn’t enrol or update their details until after writ day, implying they were basically just lazy. A large percentage of the late enrollers are usually in the 18-24 age bracket, a group with historically low enrolment and voting rates, often because they can be more transient than older folks (because, for example, they’re university students). The changes this year could disenfranchise a large percentage of those people, and it’s perhaps cynical to point out that 18-24 voters are more likely to vote for parties on the Left, and not for any of the parties in the current ruling coalition. It may be cynical to think that was a factor in the government’s decision, but that doesn’t mean it’s not also true. Or not. The larger point is that whatever the current government’s motivation, it will disenfranchise younger voters and make it harder for large numbers to register in time.
This year, I saw election hoardings going up around Kirikiriroa-Hamilton much earlier than I thought was legal, and then found out for the first time that the city’s bylaws allow signs to go up much earlier than in other parts of the country. I had no idea that was the case.
In the first couple weeks, by far the most signs I saw were for the NZ Labour Party and its candidates, with signs for the NZ National Party going up shortly afterward. The two parties still make up the vast majority of signs I’ve seen in my travels around the city (mostly within my own electorate). I don’t recall seeing this large amount of Labour signs in 2020 or 2023, but National’s presence seems similar to me.
During my first General Election in Hamilton, 2020, I don’t think we got many campaign pamphlets dropped in our letter boxes. There were some in 2023, especially from National. This year, some had materials for National had already been left, and then the week after I got a second one for National’s candidate, I got my very first pamphlet from Labour (both in photo above). I was glad to see the competition.
Last weekend, a couple lads came to my door, one wearing a National Party t-shirt. They were door knocking, as it’s usually called, for their party’s candidate. I didn’t want to waste their time, so I raised my hand as if to stop him, and much to my surprise, the guy speaking started to wind up to leave, and, after I said something like, “I’m 100% Labour,” I then added, “you guys are the first election volunteers I’ve ever seen in this neighbourhood, so well done!” I didn’t want them to think I hated them: The fact I wouldn’t vote for their party or candidate doesn’t mean I have anything against them personally. In fact, I admire people who do that, partisanship aside, because it’s something I can’t do.
The dissolution of Parliament is on October 1, and the current government becomes a caretaker government until after the final election results are declared and they either form a new coalition government, or else they become the Opposition to the new Centre-Left government. But that’s a tale for late November or early December. Naturally, I intend to talk about that then.
Overall, the fact that our neighbourhood is getting a bit more attention from the politicians means we’re a real neighbourhood now. I’m mostly joking about that, of course, because with all the development going on around us, we’ll soon be like every other part of the city, and I think that’ll be a good thing—or maybe that should say I hope it’s a good thing? Time will tell how that tale turns out, too.
To be abundantly clear, I am not, and don’t pretend to be, neutral or non-partisan. I support the New Zealand Labour Party, and am a member of the party, though I have absolutely no role or position whatsoever. I get the exact same information emails from the party as any other member or supporter gets, and don’t ever get “insider” information. All of which means that while I’m certainly partisan, all my opinions on NZ politics and elections are entirely my own sincerely held beliefs and opinions. Just so we’re clear.
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