More MMP Education Will Be Needed--Commission
Media Statement
26 September 1999
For immediate
release:
MORE MMP EDUCATION WILL BE NEEDED--COMMISSION
The Electoral Commission said today that a considerable effort will be needed to improve voters’ understanding of the MMP electoral system before they go to the polls on 27 November.
The Commission’s Chief
Executive, Dr Paul Harris, said that the Commission would
carry out a further public education campaign before
election day to remind New Zealanders of the basic features
of MMP.
Dr Harris said research had shown there had
been a big decline in public knowledge of key aspects of MMP
since the 1996 election. This meant the Commission could not
rely on residual levels of knowledge from the last election,
even on fundamental aspects of the electoral
system.
The research showed that New Zealanders’
knowledge that there are two votes under MMP had dropped
from 76 percent at the end of 1997 to 61 percent at the end
of 1998; and that knowledge that the party vote is more
important in deciding the number of MPs each party will have
in Parliament had fallen from 55 percent to 43 percent over
the same period.
The research also showed that certain
groups in the population had below average understanding of
MMP. Dr Harris noted, for example, that at the end of 1998,
only 53 percent of women knew that they have two votes under
MMP whereas 70 percent of men were aware of this
fact.
He said the Commission’s education campaign
would include television, radio and newspaper
advertisements, direct marketing, the widespread
distribution of information pamphlets in English and other
languages through PostShops and other outlets, and a
freephone service, 0800 800 610, to enable electors to ask
questions about MMP and to request material to be mailed to
them.
ENDS