Local elections are currently occurring across the country, with all votes needing to be in and counted by Saturday 8 October. But over time, the number of people actually casting their vote has declined substantially, and in the last local elections in 2019, 35 councils (53%) saw turnout below 50%. So far in 2022, concerns have been raised over the slow progress in voting compared to prior years.
How many people actually vote in your local area?
Infometrics has compiled average voter turnout rates across local councils in New Zealand since the current system started in 1989, to show the sustained decline in voter turnout. Urban areas dominate the bottom of the chart, with most of New Zealand’s larger cities recording turnout of less than 50% near-consistently since the 2004 election. How does your area stack up?
The low turnout in large urban cities means that local election turnout sat at 42% in 2019, and was last about half (50%) back in 1998. Many provincial districts have higher turnout, but are still in decline. In 2019, the highest turnout rate was 65% (in Westland District). For comparison, the general election voting rate in 2020 was nearly 82%.
Healthy voter turnout indicates a more informed and engaged local population. But declining participation makes buy-in to local decision making increasingly more limited. There’s more to do to lift the vote, and there’s still time to cast your ballot, and encourage others to do so, before Saturday 8 October.
