New Zealand’s local elections took place over the weekend, with the average turnout nationally falling below fifty percent. Turnout has been slipping every three years, although there was a slight increase nationwide in 2019 of 2.4%, meaning 44.4% of eligible voters cast a vote. But who is to blame for this crisis? Is it on the voters or do we have an out of date local electoral system? Louis Laws spoke with Lara Greaves about the local elections and solutions for voter certainty in the future.
Lara Greaves is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland. She is an expert in New Zealand politics and public policy.
Podcast:
This interview originally aired on 95bFM’s weekly news and current affairs show The Wire. For more stories like this, click here.
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Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this discussion reflect the views of the guest and not necessarily the views of The Big Q.
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