STV not cause of low voter turnout

top five, dead or alive. It’s long been the method of debating the best artists or sports stars. It’s not difficult. However, when it comes to voting, the idea of ranking candidates is often portrayed as exceptionally difficult.

At this month’s council meeting, Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith attempted to move the council from the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method to First Past the Post (FPP).

STV involves ranking candidates, with No 1 being your top candidate. You can carry on to rank as many or as few candidates as you like.

With FPP, you tick the names of candidates you want to win, up to the number of seats available. In the case of Te Hirawanui general ward, that is a maximum of 13 ticks.

Smith’s move was in light of the council’s six-yearly review of its electoral system. The move was voted down, supported only by Mark Arnott, Lew Findlay and Billy Meehan. Nine councillors were against.

The community can demand a poll to consider using FPP, costing ratepayers $140,000.

This would require 5 per cent of residents, around 4000 people, to ask for a review.

Smith supported STV in previous years and was clear he wanted change in an effort to improve voter turnout. Fourteen of New Zealand’s 78 councils use the STV system.

Palmerston North had the third-lowest local government turnout in 2022.

These two separate facts seem to have become intertwined. Poor voter turnout is a New Zealand-wide problem and is not significantly better for councils using FPP.

Voting systems are a way of determining who we have representing us. They aren’t an effective way of addressing turnout.

The council’s democracy and governance manager confirmed at the meeting, before the debate, that “the data doesn’t say that STV or FPP affect the voter participant rate”.

This year’s Future for Local Government panel suggested STV be used across NZ.

Smith framed the difference as an argument between political advocates, academics and voters. He highlighted voters having to use STV for Palmerston North City Council and FPP for Horizons Regional Council on one voting slip.

While this can be confusing, if someone has committed to voting, we would expect them to work through the form and instructions. We have more of an issue with those who don’t engage with voting in any way.

The lowest voter turnouts at general elections are among those aged 24 to 40. Vaughan Dennison suggested many people in that age group also might not vote locally as they had never posted a letter, and that postal voting was the bigger issue.

Lorna Johnson suggested the way to increase voter turnout would be a very competitive mayoral election. Smith responded: “Be careful what you wish for.”

Smith has convincingly beaten recent mayoral candidates and spent much less than them on campaigning. Current councillors Dennison and Findlay both ran against Smith in 2015. Tangi Utikere, now a Labour MP, also ran in 2015 and Green MP Teanau Tuiono in 2019.

Although STV will stay, Smith may see an increase in future voter turnout through a robust mayoral contest.

stefan speller is a Palmerston North governance board chairman, speaker and local government commentator.