Damien Grant: Electorate candidates deserve your vote on merit, not tactical gaming

I’ve spent this election hauling myself around remote electorates hosting debates with former Labour MP Anna Lorck, thanks to the excellent folks from the Taxpayers’ Union, and interviewing political leaders with fellow Stuff columnist Verity Johnson.

I’ve met a retired All Blacks captain, a Certified Parrot Behaviour Consultant, a couple of mayors and, with some trepidation, a former police detective. Let me tell you, those who are running for an electorate seat put in the mahi. Hard, relentless, grinding hours spent debating, door knocking, presenting, memorising party lines and talking to potential voters, random strangers and other candidates.

Guest Post: Tactical voting

The MMP electoral system can be problematic — but, with a good understanding of its nature, there is a way for the National Party coalition government to be more assured of being reelected; and at the same time, give ACT and NZ First more say in crucial matters such as equal rights for all New Zealanders, which National have been too timid to implement, despite having promised to do so before the last election.

JC: Key and Luxon Don’t Get It?

At last weekend’s National Party election launch, John Key, in his address to the few who bothered to turn up, said people who were touting tactical voting were “dumb”. Insult! Luxon followed that up by describing the idea as “insane”. Desperation! These two have something of a history together and I’m not prepared to completely ‘knock’ either of them. To do so would be unfair as their contributions, good or bad, were done with what they consider the best of intent. They both harboured a desire to give something back to the country. However, that doesn’t mean they can escape criticism and the opportunity to do so is there aplenty.

JC: What Are We Looking For

I refer to the types of parties’ policies we, as right-wing conservative voters, would like to see at the forthcoming election. Anything from the left will not sit comfortably so we must look to the three parties on the right. We must start from the base that there is no one party that is going to address everything we may want. Therefore each party has to be looked at individually in each policy area.

JC: Vote For What You Don’t Want.

Voting to keep the left out of power: there is one way, and one way only, that this can be achieved with certainty – tactical voting. Even within this framework you have to be careful how you cast your vote to create the maximum advantage for the right and maximum destruction on the left. I will attempt to explain the means by which this can be achieved.

Anglo Saxon: MMP voting 101 in just 10 minutes

Let me change your mind about the New Zealand Election 2026 

 Anglo Saxon explains election overhangs and tactical voting (electorate vote / party vote)

 

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Dr Oliver Hartwich: Tactical voting could sink MMP

At its campaign launch in Gisborne on Sunday, Te Pāti Māori asked its supporters for something no party had requested so openly before: candidate votes for the party, party votes for its allies on the left.

The request rests on MMP’s overhang rule. A party that wins more electorates than its party vote covers keeps them all, and Parliament grows.