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Reading, Wellington, and whatever else – teenblog@wcl.govt.nz

Tag: Election

Newly 18? Not 18 yet but want to know more about the election?

Hello to the newly 18-year-olds (and anyone else) who wants to know a bit more about the upcoming election…

2020 is an ELECTION year for Aotearoa/New Zealand! The election is on SATURDAY THE 17th OF OCTOBER.

Voting in the election is one of the main ways that you as a person who lives in Aotearoa/NZ get to have your say about what happens in your country. Everyone has different priorities, backgrounds, beliefs and opinions which inform how they vote in the election.

This year as well as voting in the General Election you get the chance to have your say on two REFERENDUMS, the Cannabis Legalisation and Control referendum and the End of Life Choice referendum. You get to have your say on these at the same time as you cast your vote in the General Election.

It can be really exciting voting in your first election but it can also be kind of daunting. The best thing you can do for yourself, so that you know that you’re making a vote that aligns with the things that are important to you, and for the wider community by making an informed vote, is to get some information about the POLICY each of the political parties is putting forward. A good place to start can be going to each of the parties official websites and reading through their policy section, this is a good way to gauge what each party stands for and what ideas they each have about Aotearoa/NZ’s future.

Make sure you also put some time and thought into learning more about the referendums and reading through them. There are some great resources that outline what these referendums mean in straight forward terms and answer some common questions about them.

Make sure you’re ENROLLED TO VOTE, KNOW WHAT YOUR ELECTORATE IS (what region of the country you are voting in),  KNOW WHERE YOUR LOCAL VOTING PLACE IS and have done some solid information-seeking so you’re ready to cast your vote on the day!

For bonus credit, if you’re 17, you can actually fill out an enrolment form now, and then the moment you turn 18, you’ll automatically be added to the electoral roll. Find out how here!

Vote.nz or Elections.nz are key places to get information

https://vote.nz/

https://elections.nz/

Information on Both Referendums

https://www.referendums.govt.nz/

Don’t forget to vote!

Vote in ballot boxToday is your last day to vote if you haven’t enrolled yet – and it’s easy! If you just turned 18 recently and haven’t enrolled yet, or for any other reason you’re not enrolled, it’s not too late. All you need to take with you is some ID, like a driver’s license, and you can enrol and vote on the spot! But you can only do this today, not tomorrow. If you are already enrolled, tomorrow is the voting day and it’s your last chance to vote in this year’s election. Here is a list of voting locations for both today and tomorrow: Information for voters: the who, when and where

Your vote is worth exactly the same as anyone else’s, so your vote is tied for first place as the MOST important vote in this election! Check out this neat comic about how important your vote is: The most valuable vote in New Zealand

And I know it can be so tricky to know who to vote for. Sometimes party policies are hidden under layers of publicity and personalities, and it can all get a bit confusing. But there are some great (and fun!) tools to help you work out who to vote for. On The Fence and Vote Compass are two tools which quiz you on what is most important to you, and they will tell you which parties most align with your own views. You might be surprised at the results!

There is another interesting website called Ask Away which allows you to submit questions you want MPs to answer, then the MPs from different parties answer the questions so that you can see which party/parties you most agree with the answers to. And best of all, On The Fence and Ask Away were both created by design students from Massey University! Here is a neat interview with the designers: Getting voters off the fence

So what are you waiting for? Go on and get off the fence and vote!

Election ’08

NZ Forest & Bird are holding their annual poll to find out which New Zealand bird is the Bird of the Year. Will it be the Fantail, the Kea, or the Kiwi? The Tui, or the Albatross? The adorable Grey Warbler won last year. I particularly like Moreporks (or Ruru), if only because they’re so ridiculously cute, and the Kaka is a great bird too – if you’ve ever been to Nga Manu, you may have had a Kaka sit on your head.

Place your vote here! You have until the 7th of November.