Hard News: Prospects
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I hope you read this Sofie
"Scrutineers may be appointed by candidates, or in some cases parties, to observe in polling places and during the preliminary count. Scrutineers may wear party lapel badges. They must not communicate with voters. When the electoral official reads out from the electoral roll the line and page number of the voter the scrutineer is entitled to record this. -
I thought that was illegal? Can anyone help? I suspect this is the hall I will go to and I will say something if someone can inform me of the law.
This, from the Chief Electoral Office, has the explanation.
Candidates (and parties) are allowed scrutineers to make sure people aren't cheating. I guess the question is, would you prefer to know they were party-appointed scrutineers, or if they were just sitting there looking like official election people with no identifying material.
And if one acts like a prat, maybe you'd like to know, so you can avoid voting for their party :-)
I do think it's kinda cool, however, that New Zealanders all seem to really love section 197 of the Electoral Act. Most similar countries (US, UK, Australia) don't have a ban on election day campaigning but I'm pretty sure there'd be massive opposition to changing it.
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OMG he's polished my shoes! thanks Raymond
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Sofie: All party signs must be excluded. It would be a bit intimidating to be confronted by rosettes. There should be a phone number for a Controlling Returning Officer to check. Once I took exception to Geof Thompson National Horowhenua, sweeping into our Polling Booth and making loud anti-labour remarks across the booth. But he didn't stay very long so hard to deal with verbals.
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Yes
I've
voted
Quite the steady stream, definitely going to be a big turnout down here in Waitaki, and the rest of the South Island too by the weather. What's it like up north? Auckland and Northland?Turnout in the sate Māori seats will decide it I reckon. Have the interested parties done enough GOTV?
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Lots of red and blue rosettes but all careful to be following rules of not talking. I noticed a few smiles from people wearing red rosettes (and even a guy with a blue one on) It had nothing to do with my bright red t shirt :) What pleasantly surprised me was how busy it was and noticed a large Maori turnout.all the booths were full. And my shoes looked great I must say :)
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Turnout in the sate Māori seats will decide it I reckon.
Are they the ones with the spicy peanut sauce? ;-)
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What pleasantly surprised me was how busy it was
Same here, I had to wait to get into a booth for the first time ever.
I like the fact that we vote at a conversative Christian private school.
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Can I just urge y'all with Freeview to watch the Media7 special at 7pm.
I'm just back from the "as live" part of it, and we wrapped up what I'm sure is the best show we've done.
Now, making food for guests later, which is another thing that makes me happy.
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Voted!
It was steady but not crowded at our polling place - mind you, with only three booths, it was pretty damn small, so it wouldn't have stood many more people. I didn't spot anyone wearing party rosettes, but I wasn't looking. I was encouraged by the number of parents with small kids and young people who were there, although I reckon that's a function of the area we're in more than anything. Still good to see.
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Now, making food for guests later, which is another thing that makes me happy.
So dinner round your house. What time will you be expecting all of us Everyone could watch your freeview ;)
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Well. I've voted. Who won? come on, the suspense is killing me.
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Moz,
Yeah, telling ozzies that we can't campaign on election day always raises eyebrows and not a few "that would be wonderful" comments. The flip side is that handing out how to vote cards does help where there can be more than 50 candidates that must be ranked, and it also shows party membership strength. I've been on a few booths where there were volunteers from the current MP and The Greens and that was it, because the "opposition" had conceded the seat and put their volunteers from that electorate somewhere else. It's also funny to see hired help handing out Liberal material while telling people to vote Labour/Green (often they're hired because it's an immigrant-heavy electorate and they speak languages other than English - my partner gets lots of offers at good wages because she's ethnically Vietnamese). Of course, the Liberals have no way to stop their hired help doing that because the whole need to hire them arises from not having anyone who does actually speak the language...
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Went up the road to St George's and voted. 15-minute return trip, to walk there and back and do my thing in the booth. Did the left-leaning Epsom voter thing, but word from a friend's parents who're on the Epsom Labour committee is that Rodders is considered a dead-cert so just vote for whoever actually floats your boat.
I'm somewhat gutted, because a show that I'm involved with opens tonight (and the date was set last year, so I blame Helen! :P) so I can't watch the early returns. Won't get home before 11, at best, so it'll be halfway over before I even get started.
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Just off to vote. Waiting for a ride with my friend who has already voted in Palmerston North. My son who I've written about (with his permission) on the humans site is autistic and is a passionate supporter of the democratic process. He has watched all the election speeches,followed the election coverage on every TV channel, read the leaflets - not just in today's election but in the USA's one last week, and even in Australia last year. He is waiting impatiently at the door with his easy vote card, for me to be ready. I suspect his will be a vote for Helen since he met her in person at her at his not-Godfather's civil union a couple of years ago, and Grant Robertson since he has met him recently too - but is perfectly able to make up his own mind unassisted in the booth, and it will be a very well informed choice. I just hope the form isn't too complicated. Helps if there are visual symbols.
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I've just been looking at the Election08 site (TV3) and I can't find anywhere to view results as they come in, not that there would be any yet but I wanted to be ready. Where is all the analysis, the swingometer thingy, the worm or whatever. Does anybody have a better site?
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I'm just off to vote (in Franz Josef.) Bright sunshine here, with a bit of a breeze.
Because I'm registered in Te Tai Toka, mine will be a special vote, but there'll be quite a few of those - tourists, seasonal statt et al- -
In answer to my own question and for the benefit of anyone who was looking for the same stuf.
TVOne has a good site set up for today. And, of course electionresults.govt.nz/ will be displaying results from around 7 tonight.
Like you didn't already know that :-P -
Steve, www.electionresults.govt.nz
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Remeber the old adage... Vote early & vote often ;p
Voted at Boys' High Christchurch and although it only had a couple of others voting at the time it was really nice to see parents taking their kids along to show them the process.
Must grumble about the electorate candidates for Ilam as only Gerry had passed our way and I don't know what any of the other candidates look like.
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Hey. I am surprised that the Herald did not publish an instruction for one party or the other to vote tomorrow to relieve congestion. Don't know which party would be the target for that. :)
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Thank you Matthew. The moment i posted that I remembered, must be getting senile.
Remember the old adage... Vote early & vote often ;p
Ha, When I went to vote the lady asked me if i had voted before so I said "Yes, I always vote, I vote early and often" She gave me a look normally reserved for those who have just broken wind and said "Well If you don't use your democratic right to vote they may take it away from you and we wouldn't want that, would we?"
"It's OK" I responded "I'm not voting for them"
Joy and merriment abounded. I then went off and bought a cream donut with a big dob of red jam on top to celebrate. -
Steve: That is very funny! And your reply hilarious. Wish I could think that quickly on my feet, or hands for that matter.
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Voting in New Zealand, even when one's heart is heavy at the eventual prospects, is such a nice experience, I had a smile on the back of my head by the time I was done. The only drawback I can see is that the if your school is a polling place you don't get any extra holidays - in Italy it used to mean two whole weeks off (for reasons that I was never quite able to divine). But then here kids for the most part like going to school.
Weird country.
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Because I'm registered in Te Tai Toka, mine will be a special vote, but there'll be quite a few of those - tourists, seasonal statt et al-
Why so? Te Tai Tonga encompasses the entire South Island, and at my polling place we just had an extra box for that electorate. Are there not enough people on the Maori roll where you are to justify that? Seems a bit silly to make it a special vote!
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