On the “disenfranchised” side of the equation, I have little, if any, time for it.
An election is held every three years. Between the last one and the next one that’s a lot of days to, at some point, stick your name down for another crack.
The fact you can't rock up on the day is only going to “disenfranchise” you if you are a bit disorganised.
Everyone loves a conspiracy theory so a few jumped on the old "it will favour the right" line. It won't.
But here is the bigger question: why can't you enrol on the day? Because we can't cope.
Why can't we cope? Because we are a small island backwater with a technological mentality to go with it.
I asked Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith last week why we aren't like the Germans. The German elections have their results as the polls close. Watch them next time, it's awesome.
We don’t, he said, because they're efficient. Why aren't we efficient? He laughed, as well he might.
Elections, technologically, are the thing time forgot. Years back we talked of phones and votes and electronic registration. None of it has happened and none of it will.
We can't conduct a Census properly, we make a marae a polling station where the CEO is also the candidate and we still have rules being changed around food and drink, despite the fact that got first raised as an issue 100 years ago when they called it treating.
We have mail votes at local body elections, despite the fact no one uses mail, so the post office is besides themselves.
Our rules around political donations are constantly tinkered with.
Elections just appear a bit hard for us. It's true there are issues elsewhere - we don’t seem to have the waiting times many do, we are corruption free, and participation is high.
But the fact you can't execute a fairly simple and logical idea like same-day registration does remind you that when it comes to modern day efficiency, it's not a “disenfranchising” scandal that did us in.
It's the gliding-on nature of how we run things.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
The fact you can't rock up on the day is only going to “disenfranchise” you if you are a bit disorganised.
Everyone loves a conspiracy theory so a few jumped on the old "it will favour the right" line. It won't.
But here is the bigger question: why can't you enrol on the day? Because we can't cope.
Why can't we cope? Because we are a small island backwater with a technological mentality to go with it.
I asked Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith last week why we aren't like the Germans. The German elections have their results as the polls close. Watch them next time, it's awesome.
We don’t, he said, because they're efficient. Why aren't we efficient? He laughed, as well he might.
Elections, technologically, are the thing time forgot. Years back we talked of phones and votes and electronic registration. None of it has happened and none of it will.
We can't conduct a Census properly, we make a marae a polling station where the CEO is also the candidate and we still have rules being changed around food and drink, despite the fact that got first raised as an issue 100 years ago when they called it treating.
We have mail votes at local body elections, despite the fact no one uses mail, so the post office is besides themselves.
Our rules around political donations are constantly tinkered with.
Elections just appear a bit hard for us. It's true there are issues elsewhere - we don’t seem to have the waiting times many do, we are corruption free, and participation is high.
But the fact you can't execute a fairly simple and logical idea like same-day registration does remind you that when it comes to modern day efficiency, it's not a “disenfranchising” scandal that did us in.
It's the gliding-on nature of how we run things.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
6 comments:
There should be IQ tests for voting. Like, what is a woman? The consequences are self evident.
There is just one thing you should be doing in a polling booth, and that’s voting. Not registered? Tough. Come back in 3 years.
I liked the old system. If you couldn’t register prior to cut off. Tough.
If you couldn’t get out of bed to vote on the single voting day. Tough.
If you want your hand held to accomplish both should disqualify your voting rights. Just saying.
Of course we're hopeless. I remember TV1 election experts saying 'let's crunch the numbers' when adding, say 58+3. Come on. An eight-year old can do that (as can a 2-year-old in China)
I’m with you Rob Beechey. Nothing wrong with citizenship requiring some personal duties and responsibilities. In fact I'd say that’s healthy in a democracy.
One of the problems with voting day elections is the system can't verify you immediately. There is enough for polling booths to do do just getting the votes sorted without having to enroll 'dropkcks' who are to lazy to do it beforehand. Even 17 year olds can register to enroll and the system then automatically enrolls them on their 18th birthday, Both UK and Australia (and probably others) have cut off dates before voting starts. L'm sure we used to but nanny state Labour changed it.
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