What's in a Vote?
"..with the stroke of a pen in a box; it is one way we share power." What's in a Vote? Amy Pearl. The by-elections for the Wanaka Ward and the Dunstan Constituency of the Otago Regional Council are under way, with voting papers due to arrive soon in the post. With turnout for by-elections typically as low as thirty percent, now is a good time to consider what comes with a vote. Voter turnout for local body elections is rarely more than fifty percent , including for mayoral elections, district councils, city councils and community boards. And our General Election turnout has also continued to decline since Robert Muldoon’s snap election in 1984, when David Lange won and voter turnout was at 93.7%.This century, we’ve had five General Elections and, Helen Clark’s win in 2005 aside, voter turnout has fallen below eighty percent. These statistics are "social indicators”, measures that describe the well-being of individuals or communities; civic