Elections in New Zealand

New Zealand's House of Representatives, commonly called Parliament, is chosen by nationwide election. These elections occur 
every three years (or earlier, should it be necessary), and take place under the Mixed Member Proportional electoral system. They are coordinated by the 
 Chief Electoral Office and the Electoral Commission.
==Overview of elections==
===Voting===
New Zealand elections occur when the Prime Minister requests a dissolution of parliament and a fresh election. Theoretically, this can be at any time, although 
there is a convention that Prime Ministers should not call elections unless they have no reasonable alternative.
Elections always occur on Saturday, so as to ensure that people are not prevented from voting due to work commitments. Voting is done at various polling stations, 
generally established in schools, churches, or other such public places. In the 2002 elections, there were 6,560 such polling stations.
Voting itself is done on printed voting ballots, with voters marking their choices (one candidate vote and one party vote - see MMP) with an ink pen provided for 
them. The paper is then placed in a locked ballot box by the voter. It is also possible to cast "special votes" if one is genuinely unable to attend a regular polling 
station (such as if one is outside the country or has impaired mobility).
===The electoral roll===
The electoral roll is a register of all eligible voters. It is compulsory for anyone who meets the requirements for voting to be on the electoral roll, even if they do not 
intend to vote. The roll records the name and address of all voters, although it is possible to be granted an "unlisted" status on the roll in special circumstances. 
===Electorates===
An electorate is a voting district. There are currently sixty-nine electorates (seven of which are Maori electorates, reserved for people of Maori ethnicity who 
choose to place themselves on a separate electoral roll). All electorates should have roughly the same number of people in them - electorate boundaries must 
occasionally be redrawn to preserve this. The number of people in each electorate is tied to geography - the South Island, the less populous of the country's two 
islands, is guaranteed sixteen electorates, and so the number of people per electorate can be found by taking the population of the South Island and dividing by 
sixteen. From this, the number of North Island and Maori seats is determined.
===Vote counting and announcement===
Voting stations close at 7:00pm on election day. The process of counting the votes then begins. Counting is performed by polling officials. Results (both partial and 
final) are sent to a central office in the capital, Wellington, where they are announced as they arrive. In recent years, election results 
have been updated live on a dedicated official website, "www.electionresults.govt.nz". Regular vote counting is generally completed on the night of the election, but 
special votes (see "Voting") can take longer than this, occasionally producing surprise upsets when they are announced. The final results of the election become 
official when they are confirmed by the Chief Electoral Officer.
==History of voting in New Zealand==
===The New Zealand Constitution Act===
The first national elections in New Zealand were held in 1853, the year after the British government passed the New Zealand Constitution 
Act. This was a measure to grant limited self-rule to settlers in New Zealand, who had grown increasingly frustrated with the colonial authorities (particularly the 
nearly unlimited power of the Governor). The Constitution Act established a bicameral parliament, with the lower house (the 
House of Representatives) to be elected every five years. 
Initially, the restrictions on voting rights were relatively high. To vote, one needed to:
*Be male
*Be a British subject
*Be at least twenty-one years old
*Own land worth at least £50, or pay a certain amount in yearly rental (£10 for farmland or a city house, or £5 for a country house)
*Not be serving a criminal sentence for treason, a felony, or another serious offence
In theory, this would have allowed Maori men to vote, but electoral regulations prevented land held communally from being counted under the property 
qualification. As such, many Maori (who were still living with traditional customs about land ownership) were unable to vote. Whether this exclusion of Maori was 
deliberate or not is debated, but neither side appears to have been particularly concerned at it - settlers believed that Maori were "uncivilized", and potentially had 
the numerical strength to outvote Europeans, while Maori were uninterested in a "settler parliament" that they saw as having little relevance to them. Despite the 
exclusion of Maori and women, however, New Zealand's voting franchise was highly liberal when compared to many other countries. It is estimated that when the 
Constitution Act was passed, around three quarters of the male European population in New Zealand was eligible to vote. This contrasts with the situation in Britain, 
where the equivalent figure was closer to a fifth.
===Goldminers and the vote===
In 1860, the franchise was extended slightly, waiving the property qualification for anyone who possessed a miner's license. This was intended to enfranchise 
participants in the Otago gold rush, who often did not own valuable land but who were nevertheless deemed "important".
===The Maori seats===
In 1867, four Maori seats were established, enabling Maori to vote without needing to meet the property requirements. This measure was intended as a 
temporary solution, as it was believed that Maori would soon abandon traditional customs about land ownership. Soon, however, the seats were made permanent. 
While the establishment of Maori seats was sometimes claimed as an example of progressive legislation, the effect was not as satisfactory as might be thought. While 
the seats did increase Maori participation in politics, the Maori population of the time was sufficient to warrant approximately fifteen seats, not four. Because Maori 
could only vote in Maori seats, and the number of Maori seats was fixed, Maori were effectively locked into under-representation.
===The secret ballot===
Initially, votes were cast by verbally informing a polling officer of one's chosen candidate. In 1870, however, the secret ballot was introduced, whereby each 
voter would mark their choice on a printed ballot and place the ballot in a sealed box. This is essentially the same system that is in use today. The change was 
implemented to reduce the chances of voters feeling intimidated, embarrassed, or pressured about their vote, and to reduce the chances of corruption.
===Abolition of the property requirement===
After considerable controversy, it was decided in 1879 to remove the requirement of property ownership. This allowed anyone who met the other qualifications 
to participate in the electoral process. As the restrictions in New Zealand were not as high as in other countries, this change did not have the same effect as in (for 
example) Britain, but was nevertheless significant. In particular, it eventually gave rise to "working class" politicians, and eventually (in 1916) the [[New 
Zealand Labour Party | Labour Party]].
===Women's suffrage===
Women were finally allowed to vote with the passage of a bill by the Legislative Council in 1893. The House of 
Representatives (the component of parliament that survives in modern times) had passed such a bill several times previously, but this was the first time it had not been 
blocked by the appointed Legislative Council. 
The growth of women's suffrage in New Zealand was largely the result of a large political movement led by Kate Sheppard, the country's most famous 
suffragette. The movement was was supported inside parliament by politicians such as John Hall, Robert Stout, Julius Vogel, William Fox, and 
John Ballance. When Ballance became Premier, and founded the Liberal Party, many believed that suffrage was immanent, but 
attempts to pass a suffrage bill were repeatedly blocked in the Legislative Council (which had been stacked with conservative politicians by Ballance's outgoing 
predecessor, Harry Atkinson). 
When Ballance suddenly died in office, however, he was replaced by Richard Seddon, who (although a member of Ballance's Liberal Party) opposed suffrage. It 
appeared, therefore, that suffrage would not be granted. Despite Seddon's opposition, however, sufficient strength was assembled in the House of Representatives 
to pass the bill. When it arrived in the Legislative Council, several previously hostile members were sufficiently angered at Seddon's "underhand" behaviour while 
opposing the bill that they voted in favour. This was enough to ensure that it passed, and the bill was signed into law on 19 September. In the election later that year, 
women were able to vote freely.
New Zealand often claims to be the first country in the world to have granted women's suffrage, although the accuracy of this often depends on the definitions used.
===Lowering the voting age===
For most of New Zealand's early history, it was necessary to be at least twenty-one years old to vote. At times, however, voting rights were temporarily extended to 
people younger than this, such as in World War I and World War II (where serving military personnel were allowed to vote regardless of age). Later, the 
voting age was reduced further - in 1969, it was lowered to twenty, and in 1974, it was lowered to eighteen. Much of this was as the result of increased 
student interest in politics due to the Vietnam War protests.
===Abolition of the citizenship requirement===
In 1975, the voting franchise was extended to all permanent residents of New Zealand, regardless of whether or not they possessed citizenship. It is not, 
however, possible for someone to be elected to parliament if they are not a citizen.
===The switch to MMP===
Apart from a brief period from 1908 to 1913 (when runoff voting was used), New Zealand used a straight first-past-the-post electoral system. 
Towards the end of the 20th century, however, voter dissatisfaction with the political process was growing. In particular, the [[New Zealand general election 
1978 | 1978 election]] and the 1981 election both delivered outcomes that many deemed unsatisfactory - the opposition 
 Labour Party won the highest number of votes, but Robert Muldoon's governing National 
Party won more seats. This was a result of the first-past-the-post electoral system. Subsequently, voter discontent grew even greater when both Labour and 
National were perceived to have broken their election promises by implementing the policies of "Rogernomics". This left many people wanting to support 
alternative parties, but the electoral system made it difficult for smaller parties to realistically compete with either of the two large ones - for example, the [[Social 
Credit (New Zealand) | Social Credit]] party had gained 21% of the vote in 1981, but only received two seats.
In response to public anger, the Labour Party established a Royal Commission on the Electoral System, which delivered its results in 1986. Both Labour and 
National had expected the Commission to propose only minor reforms, but instead, it recommended the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system already 
used by Germany. Neither Labour nor National supported this idea, and National chose to embarrass Labour by pointing out their lack of enthusiasm for their 
own Commission's report. National, attempting to seize the upper ground, promised a referendum on the matter. Labour, unwilling to see itself outdone, promised 
the same. As such, both parties were committed to a holding a referendum on a policy that they did not want.
When National won the next election, it agreed (under pressure from voters) to hold a referendum. This began the process of 
New Zealand electoral reform, which eventually resulted in the adoption of MMP.
==Results of previous elections==
The following is a table of all previous general elections in New Zealand (note that elections for Maori seats were initially held separately from elections for general 
seats). Displayed are the dates of the elections, the officially recorded voter turnout, and the number of seats in parliament at the time. On the right are the number of 
seats won by the four most significant parties in New Zealand's history (the Liberal Party, the 
Reform Party, the Labour Party, and the National Party), as well as the number won by other 
candidates (either independents or members of smaller political parties).
 Election
 Date(s)
 Official turnout
 Total seats
 Liberals
 Reform
 Labour
 National
 Other
 1853 general election
 4 Jul - 1 Oct
 Unrecorded
 37
 -
 -
 -
 -
 37
 1855 general election
 28 Oct - 28 Dec
 Unrecorded
 37
 -
 -
 -
 -
 37
 1860-1861 general election
 12 Dec - 28 Mar
 Unrecorded
 53
 -
 -
 -
 -
 53
 1866 general election
 12 Feb - 6 Apr
 Unrecorded
 70
 -
 -
 -
 -
 70
 1871 general election
 14 Jan - 23 Feb
 Unrecorded
 78
 -
 -
 -
 -
 78
 1875-1876 general election
 20 Dec - 29 Jan
 Unrecorded
 88
 -
 -
 -
 -
 88
 1879 general election
 28 Aug - 15 Sep
 66.5%
 88
 -
 -
 -
 -
 88
 1881 general election
 9 December
 66.5%
 95
 -
 -
 -
 -
 95
 1884 general election
 22 June
 60.6%
 95
 -
 -
 -
 -
 95
 1887 general election
 26 September
 67.1%
 95
 -
 -
 -
 -
 95
 1890 general election
 5 December
 80.4%
 74
 -
 -
 -
 -
 74
 1893 general election
 28 November
 75.3%
 74
 51
 -
 -
 -
 23
 1896 general election
 4 December
 76.1%
 74
 39
 -
 -
 -
 35
 1899 general election
 6 December
 77.6%
 74
 49
 -
 -
 -
 25
 1902 general election
 25 November
 76.7%
 80
 47
 -
 -
 -
 33
 1905 general election
 6 December
 83.3%
 80
 58
 -
 -
 -
 22
 1908 general election
 17 Nov, 24 Nov, 1 Dec
 79.8%
 80
 50
 -
 -
 -
 30
 1911 general election
 7 Dec, 14 Dec
 83.5%
 80
 33
 37
 -
 -
 10
 1914 general election
 10 December
 84.7%
 80
 33
 41
 -
 -
 6
 1919 general election
 17 December
 80.5%
 80
 21
 47
 8
 -
 4
 1922 general election
 7 December
 88.7%
 80
 22
 37
 17
 -
 4
 1925 general election
 4 November
 90.9%
 80
 11
 55
 12
 -
 2
 1928 general election
 14 November
 88.1%
 80
 27
 27
 19
 -
 7
 1931 general election
 2 December
 83.3%
 80
 -
 -
 24
 51
 5
 1935 general election
 27 November
 90.8%
 80
 -
 -
 55
 19
 6
 1938 general election
 15 October
 92.9%
 80
 -
 -
 53
 25
 2
 1943 general election
 25 September
 82.8%
 80
 -
 -
 45
 34
 1
 1946 general election
 24 November
 93.5%
 80
 -
 -
 42
 38
 0
 1949 general election
 30 November
 93.5%
 80
 -
 -
 34
 46
 0
 1951 general election
 27 December
 89.1%
 80
 -
 -
 30
 50
 0
 1954 general election
 13 November
 91.4%
 80
 -
 -
 35
 45
 0
 1957 general election
 30 November
 92.9%
 80
 -
 -
 41
 39
 0
 1960 general election
 26 November
 89.8%
 80
 -
 -
 34
 46
 0
 1963 general election
 30 November
 89.6%
 80
 -
 -
 35
 45
 0
 1966 general election
 26 November
 86.0%
 80
 -
 -
 35
 44
 1
 1969 general election
 29 November
 88.9%
 84
 -
 -
 39
 45
 0
 1972 general election
 25 November
 89.1%
 87
 -
 -
 55
 32
 0
 1975 general election
 29 November
 82.5%
 87
 -
 -
 32
 55
 0
 1978 general election
 25 November
 69.2%
 92
 -
 -
 40
 51
 1
 1981 general election
 28 November
 91.4%
 92
 -
 -
 43
 47
 2
 1984 general election
 14 July
 93.7%
 95
 -
 -
 56
 37
 2
 1987 general election
 15 August
 89.1%
 97
 -
 -
 57
 40
 0
 1990 general election
 27 October
 85.2%
 97
 -
 -
 29
 67
 1
 1993 general election
 6 November
 85.2%
 99
 -
 -
 45
 50
 4
 1996 general election
 12 October
 88.3%
 120
 -
 -
 37
 44
 39
 1999 general election
 27 November
 84.1%
 120
 -
 -
 49
 39
 32
 2002 general election
 27 July
 77.0%
 120
 -
 -
 52
 27
 41