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| How to vote using STV How candidates are elected How votes are counted |
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Media releasesBelow are media releases relating to STV for the 2004 local elections.
Local body voting enters final weekWith District Health Board and local body elections entering the final days of voting, people still to vote are being reminded that it is simple process to make their vote count. Department of Internal Affairs STV spokesperson Julia Napier says everyone in the country is using a new voting system, Single Transferable Vote, to elect their District Health Board members. It is also being used by 10 local councils and the Porirua Licensing Trust. “People who have yet to post in their voting papers are urged to take the time to exercise their democratic rights, fill in their papers and get them in the post promptly. “With District Health Board elections, people simply need to rank the candidates using numbers to indicate their preference. This means they write the number one next to the candidate they would most like elected, the number two next to the second choice, and so on.” Voters should keep in mind that it is their choice how many candidates they choose to rank. “With STV, you rank as many or as few candidates as you wish. It is totally up to the voter,” Julia Napier says. All voting papers include clear instructions on how to vote using STV, and First Past the Post. Most people will be using both voting systems, so it is important people read the instructions on their voting papers before making their choices. “With STV, voting is really very simple. People just need to rank using numbers. With FPP, they use ticks,” she says. A wide range of information about STV in several languages has been disseminated through councils and a variety of other community agencies. A nationwide advertising campaign running over the course of the voting period has helped people understand how to vote using STV, and more information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz, including an easy to follow web animation of how the STV counting process works.Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb Local body voting enters final weekWith voting in the local body elections about to enter its final week, voters are being urged to make their vote count by taking care when they fill in their voting forms. Department of Internal Affairs STV spokesperson Julia Napier says many people have still to cast their vote and the message is to carefully read the instructions on their voting papers before casting their ballot. “The next few days are likely to be a time when a lot of people people take the time to fill in their ballots as it is the last weekend before polls close on midday on Saturday, October 9.” The majority of people are using both Single Transferable Vote and First Past the Post and it is important they look carefully to see which voting system they should use for each voting paper, says Julia Napier. “We’re confident that voters who read their ballot paper carefully will make their vote count. With STV, people rank their preferences using numbers and with FPP, they use ticks to indicate their support.” She says it is the first time voters have had two voting systems in an election, so people need to read their voting papers carefully and remember that no matter where they live they will be using STV for their District Health Board elections. There are also 10 local councils using STV to elect their representatives. “To make sure their vote counts, voters need to read the instructions at the top of each ballot so they use the correct voting system.” “STV is really easy to use. The important thing to remember is that with STV people use numbers to rank the candidates. So you write the number ‘1’ next to the candidate you most want elected, a ‘2’ next to your second choice, and so on. “People can rank as few or as many candidates as they want. They just need to make sure the numbers are in sequence – 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.” Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz or alternatively, a wide range of information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb
Voters urged to read their voting papers carefullyVoters in local elections are being reminded to carefully read the instructions on their voting papers before exercising their democratic right. Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson Julia Napier says with the majority of people using both Single Transferable Vote and First Past the Post, it is important they look carefully to see which voting system they should use for each voting paper. “We’re confident that voters who read their ballot paper carefully will make their vote count. With STV, people rank their preferences using numbers and with FPP, they use ticks to indicate their support.” It is important people take the time to read their voting papers carefully because voting is at the heart of our democratic system, she says. “It is early days in the three-week voting window and with many people still to cast their vote, it is important they take the time to ensure they are using the right voting system.” Julia Napier says some feedback from electoral officers shows that people are requesting new voting papers because they have realised themselves they have not used the right voting system. “It is new for voters to have two voting systems, so people need to read their voting papers carefully and remember that no matter where they live they will be using STV for their District Health Board elections. There are also 10 local councils using STV to elect their representatives.” Every election shows that there are unfortunately invalid votes cast for a variety of reasons, and that is why it is vitally important people make sure they are using the right voting system, so they can make their vote count, she says. “STV is really easy to use. The important thing to remember is that with STV people use numbers to rank the candidates. So you write the number ‘1’ next to the candidate you most want elected, a ‘2’ next to your second choice, and so on. “People can rank as few or as many candidates as they want. They just need to make sure the numbers are in sequence – 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.” The election is a postal ballot, and most voters should have received their voting packs. Polls close on October 9. Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz or alternatively, a wide range of information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb
Voters mark New Zealand milestoneIt’s one for the record books for New Zealand – this week voters will be using STV for the first time in a nationwide election. Making history is easy under the Single Transferable Vote system, which is being used for all District Health Board elections. Ten local councils and the Porirua Licensing Trust are also using the new system. Voters should be receiving their voting packs in the next few days and have until noon on October 9, to get their votes in. Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson Julia Napier says when people receive their voting packs in the post, they will find it simple to vote with the new system. “Voting packs come with easy to follow instructions.” Julia Napier says the most important thing for people to remember before they return their voting papers by mail is that they must rank candidates with numbers for STV elections. “For example, for the person they most want elected, they put a number 1 next to that candidate’s name. They mark their second choice with a two, their third choice with a three, and so on.” Julia Napier says voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they want. This means their vote can benefit more than one candidate. It is important voters rank their preferred candidates in sequence – 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. If a voter misses out the number three when ranking candidates, for example, only the first two choices will be valid. While people can choose to rank only their number one candidate, STV is designed to benefit the voter’s selection of preferences. This way, if a voter’s number one choice doesn’t need all their votes to be elected, or is eliminated because of getting few votes, those votes are transferred to voters’ next choices. Right now an advertising campaign is hitting television, radio stations and newspapers to make voters aware of STV. For people who would like more information, there are brochures available at branches of various community organisations and on the STV website – www.stv.govt.nz. While people in most parts of New Zealand will be using STV for the District Health Board elections only, some areas will be using STV for local council elections as well. Councils using STV are:
STV is already used in parts of Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta and by Fonterra to elect its Board of Directors and Shareholders’ Council. While it is the first time STV has been used nationally, it was used for elections to the Christchurch City Council in 1919, 1929, 1931 and 1933 and the Woolston Borough Council in 1917 and 1933. Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz or alternatively, a wide range of information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb
Voters urged to make use of information on STVVoters in the upcoming local elections are being urged to take advantage of the wealth of information available to ensure they are up with the play on voting under STV. Single Transferable Voting is being used in all District Health Board elections, along with 10 local councils which have opted for the system. Under STV voters use numbers to rank candidates in order of preference. Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson Julia Napier says as with any new system it is important that people take the time to ensure they understand how to vote. An extensive education campaign is underway, which includes nationwide advertising kicking off on September 12. “We’ve been working very hard to get the message out far and wide about how people vote under the STV system. We have met with key people in the community throughout the country to explain the importance of the people understanding STV, while all candidates have also received information. “Easy to understand brochures in a variety of languages have been distributed to councils and DHBs, as well as to an extensive list of community based groups. People can either access the information through these avenues, or may prefer to tap into our website – www.stv.govt.nz .” Julia Napier says the timing of the campaign has been based on research which shows that people find it most useful to receive information close to when they are voting. She says STV is a simple voting system, with voters asked to use numbers rather than the ticks used in the First Past the Post elections. “It really is simple to vote. Basically voters put a 1 next the candidate they like the most, a 2 beside to their next preferred candidate and so on. “ The election is carried out as a postal ballot, and when the voting pack arrives in the mail people will find information on how to vote using both STV and FFP, she says. Voting papers for STV elections are pale yellow, while papers for FFP are white. “Voters will receive voting papers for their DHB, local council, regional council, and in some cases licencing trust, all in one envelope. Some of these elections will require a STV vote, while others will be a FFP vote, so people need to be mindful of which system to use, but the voting papers will make it clear.” People should receive their voting packs from mid-September, with polls closing on October 9. Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz or alternatively, a wide range of information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb
STV information going out to communitiesInformation about STV, the new voting system being used in October’s District Health Board and local authority elections, is being distributed to communities over the next few weeks. STV, or Single Transferable Voting, is being used for all District Health Board elections and for 10 city and district council elections, as well as the Porirua Licensing Trust. Brochures are being sent to community groups and information in many languagues including Arabic will also be available on a special STV website www.stv.govt.nz. Department of Internal Affairs STV spokesperson Julia Napier says it is important that all communities know that it’s easy to vote with STV. “People will be receiving their voting papers from September 17. The STV voting papers will be light yellow so that people can recognise them from ballot papers using the First Past The Post system, which will be white.” She says there will be clear instructions on the forms. The information campaign will also feature television, radio and print advertising over the voting period at the end of September. Julia Napier says there are some very clear messages for communities. “When you vote using STV, you simply rank the candidates in order of preference. You give your first choice candidate a ranking of number one, your second choice a number two, and so on.” Voters can rank as few or as many candidates on the voting paper as they wish. “It’s entirely up to the voter how many candidates they lend their support to. Whether you rank many, a few, or even just one, your vote will help all your chosen candidates to have a chance of being elected. “People wanting to make their vote count in October just need to remember that STV is about ranking candidates by number.” Anyone wanting further information about STV is welcome to contact Julia Napier at the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington on 04 495 9399, email stv@dia.govt.nz or alternatively, a wide range of information is available on the website www.stv.govt.nz. view release as pdf - 240 Kb 19 July, 2004 New voting system for kiwi votersFor the first time, New Zealand’s entire voting population will be having its democratic say using a new voting system called STV. All District Health Board elections this year will take place under Single Transferable Vote, or STV. It will also be used by 10 local councils and the Porirua Licensing Trust. Department of Internal Affairs spokesperson Julia Napier says STV is a simple voting method. Voters simply use numbers rather than the ticks used in First Past the Post elections. “It’s really easy to use. Voters choose the person they most want elected and put a number 1 next to that person’s name. They then rank their second choice with a two, their third choice with and 3, and so on.” Voters have the choice of ranking as few or as many of the candidates on the voting document as they wish, she says. “It is important when using STV that voters number the candidates they wish to support in sequence – 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.” The local authorities using STV for council elections are:
While some people will be using STV for both District Health Board and local council elections, most New Zealanders will still be voting for their council representatives using First Past the Post, Julia Napier says. “People will receive their voting pack in the mail, with easy to follow instructions on voting. Voting papers for STV elections are pale yellow, while papers for FPP elections are white.” Voting packs will arrive in people’s letter boxes from mid-September and polls close on October 9. The election is a postal vote. STV is already used in parts of Australia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta and by Fonterra to elect its Board of Directors and Shareholders’ Council. While it is the first time STV has been used nationally, it was used for elections to the Christchurch City Council in 1919, 1929, 1931 and 1933 and the Woolston Borough Council in 1917 and 1933. For more information contact: view release as pdf - 240 Kb
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