6 October 2004

Final countdown for DHB and local body elections

With 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.

ENDS

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