MMP the Party Vote

 

On September 20 this year we will hold the general election under our MMP voting system. I have been surprised that how MMP actually works still seems unclear to a lot of voters.

Recently I became a member of Focus NZ, a Northland based provincially focused minor party, who intend to win the Northland constituent seat from (MP for Northland) Mr Sabin using the MMP system. At the next election I will be giving my constituent vote to Focus NZ, because I want my MP to stand up for Northland interests. My party vote will go to National.

Under MMP you get two votes: a constituent vote and a party vote. Your constituent vote elects the person you would like to represent your district in Parliament, your party vote dictates how many seats in Parliament the party you vote for will eventually get.

It is your party vote that is the most important vote. This dictates the total number of seats your par-ty will eventually get in Parliament. For example, there are 120 seats in parliament. If National gets 45 percent of the party vote they will have 54 seats, if Labour gets 45 percent of the party vote then they will get 54 seats, no more or less.

If National got 45 percent of the party vote and Mr Sabin wins the Northland constituent seat, National would get 54 seats in parliament, if Mr Sabin lost the Northland constituent seat National would still only get 54 seats. This is why your party vote is so important and your constituent vote not so important. The MP who wins Northland will not affect the final number of seats either National or Labour will finish up with in Parliament.

This is why I will be giving my constituent vote to Focus NZ, because I want the Northland constituent MP to be in Wellington representing Northland interests.

After over 30 years of a National MP representing Northland we are still the poorest region in New Zealand. I was always told the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and each time expecting a different outcome. I believe it is time Northland voters tried something different for Northland.

By Roger Ludbrook