15 October 2010

60% of votes for Auckland councillors wasted because of FPP

The Auckland Council elections have resulted in hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders votes being wasted because the elections were run under the flawed first-past-the post system (FPP), said the Green Party today.

Across the Auckland Council, 62.5 percent of votes for councillors did not result in a representative being elected. On average it took only 37.5% of the vote to be elected as a councillor. In Albany it was only 20 percent.

“Hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders’ have been robbed of the power of their vote because of FPP,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.

“The anti-MMP lobby groups want to take us back to FPP at the national level. They now seem to have the ear of John Key,” said Mrs Turei.

“FPP, in general elections, suits those who want to take power, but it is at the expense of fair representation.

“MMP gives all New Zealanders a say and is fair for everyone. We do not want to return to the FPP system where 60 percent of the vote can easily be wasted.

“Proportional representation systems are needed at the local and central government level to ensure that all people can have their say,” said Mrs Turei.

ENDS

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