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Voter Education Key For Diverse City
Voter Education Key For Diverse City
Educating new migrants about voting in local body elections is a priority of Auckland Council’s community engagement and outreach programme.
“We live in a diverse city, with over 40 per cent of Auckland’s 1.5 million people born overseas. There are over 220 ethnicities – greater than found in London or New York,” says Marguerite Delbet, Auckland Council’s General Manager Democracy Services. “Often people do not know they can vote, especially if they have lived here for less than 10 years.”
A recent Auckland Council survey indicates young people and those of Asian, Samoan and non-European ethnic descent are less likely to vote in local elections.
“Political disengagement by some groups is a risk for the future of Auckland. We need to ensure everyone is aware of their opportunity to take part in the democratic process,” Ms Delbet says.
Auckland Council public survey results,
August 2016:
| % intention to vote by ethnicity | |
| Indian | 87% |
| Māori | 80% |
| New Zealand European | 78% |
| Other Pacific People | 68% |
| Other European | 66% |
| Samoan | 62% |
| Chinese | 62% |
| % intention to vote by time lived in Auckland | |
| 10 years or more | 77% |
| 5 years or more, but less than 10 years | 76% |
| Less than 5 years | 58% |
| % intend to vote by age | |
| 65+ | 96% |
| 55-64 | 82% |
| 45-54 | 71% |
| 35-44 | 72% |
| 25-34 | 73% |
| 18-24 | 54% |
Auckland Council is working to support the inclusion of youth and migrant voices in this year’s local elections, taking its Love Bus to the people, engaging with groups who traditionally have low voter participation, talking to them about democracy and voting. Voting instructions have been published in 12 languages in the information booklet mailed to all voters and other materials including video have been produced in New Zealand Sign Language.
Planning Manager Elections, Glyn Walters, says the feedback from people ranges from grateful to have the process explained to them to dispelling fears they can be fined for not voting.
English as a Second Language (ESOL) sessions have also been held at local libraries with support from interpreters to reach Mandarin, Hindi, Gujurati, Korean and Samoan language speakers.
Over a million Auckland voters are currently receiving individual election documents in their letterboxes and have until midday on 8 October to complete the forms and cast their vote.
Information on candidates, their thoughts on key topics which you can compare and instructions on how to vote is on showyourlove.co.nz - council’s dedicated election website.
The deadline for mailing voting papers is 5 October to ensure they arrive on time. Theshowyourlove.co.nz website has maps showing where your nearest post box and council library ballot boxes are.
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