Wellington Voters Choose STV - Aucklanders Applaud
Electoral Reform Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wellington Voters Choosing STV Provides Extra Incentive to Auckland City STV Poll Demand Campaign
Auckland City electoral reform advocates are thrilled with the result of the Wellington City referendum on the local
voting system which ended today, seeing the majority of those who voted choosing Single Transferable Voting (STV) over
the current First-Past-the-Post (FPP).
"We're not surprised that Wellington voters chose STV," said Lynne Serpe, Auckland City STV campaign organiser. "In
collecting signatures for the STV Poll Demand here in Auckland City, we've found most voters can easily understand both
the mechanics of STV as well as its benefits."
"We'd like to thank all those voters who took the time to read their ballot papers and turn them in. It takes effort for
democracy to continue to thrive," said Ms. Serpe. "The voting system used to elect our political representation plays a
critical role in our democracy and it is only right the voters had the chance to have a say."
"There is growing support for a referendum and thousands of Aucklanders have already signed the STV Poll Demand," said
Ms. Serpe. "We strongly encourage all those who want a say in their own democracy to sign the petition before 12
December."
Here in Auckland City, STV advocates have until 12 December to gather enough signatures to force the council to hold a
binding referendum. Petitions can be downloaded from http://www.stvnz.org and can be found in most local libraries.
There are similar petition campaigns taking place in over 20 other council areas around the country, including
Christchurch, Dunedin, Palmerston North and Rodney.
ENDS