Hard News: Mt Albert Old-School
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I get the impression (as a fairly new member) that the Green Party has been quite succesful in building a membership of people who will pay $50 and put a sticker on their car, but less so of the type of people who join traditional parties and go out in the rain, etc.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, except when an election comes along.
Also, pulling stuff like this isn't going to get certain Green councillors my help at election time, but that's a personal view..
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In fact, I wonder if it would be possible for the Greens to rort an electorate by focusing on one (or more) of the universities, going on a membership drive and getting the students to reregister in the university electorate instead of back at their parents houses.
Sadly students have the worst turnout of any sector of society.
And they're also a fair reflection of wider society in terms of their voting, except more pushed to both margins (they overvote ACT, Alliance, Greens relative to the nationwide vote).
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going on a membership drive and getting the students to reregister in the university electorate instead of back at their parents houses.
An excellent plan, but for one slight drawback: we have not had university electorates for some decades now. Voters are required to register in the electorates where they live, which might be some way from University. You might get some freshmen who have not registered since they left home, but I doubt that would make much of a difference.
Besides, the Greens are big on campus but not that big. There are a whole lot more folk who do not go to Varsity, some of whom might resent a bunch of students telling them how to vote.
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#Greens
as I said, the hoardings suggested they thought they could just re-run last year's general election campaign.
Couldn't resist
That'll be them recycling then.......
(81st ducks under desk)
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(81st ducks under desk)
Dude, come out. We can still see the top of your helmet.
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An excellent plan, but for one slight drawback: we have not had university electorates for some decades now
And, somehow, I don't really think Grant Robertson, Annette King, Clare Curran, David Bennett, Iain Lees-Galloway, Brendon Burns, Nikki Kaye, Rodney Hyde, and whoever else I've left out with fairly large student populations in their constituencies are going to play nice. :)
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Dude, come out. We can still see the top of your helmet.
That's unsporting, Brown. We're going to have to waste time fragging the furniture. :)
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An excellent plan, but for one slight drawback: we have not had university electorates for some decades now.
I didn't know there ever was such a thing as a special university electorate - I just meant the electorate the university is in.
Sadly students have the worst turnout of any sector of society.
Last years election was right in the middle of exams; maybe the Green's would have done better if they'd put some effort into a GOVT campaign encouraging students to cast special votes prior to the end of term.
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but they don't seem to have done the unglamorous footsoldier stuff
To be fair, I did see Russel Norman out at the Avondale markets at 8am on a grey Sunday morning. I can't say he looked very excited to be there, but he was there, complete with Green promo-girls signing people up.
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various about university electorates and turnout
Me I go with what works: in a controlled experiment last year, the Electoral Commission found that people who got a text from the orange elections guy on the day had a 4.7% higher voting turnout.
Now that would be a simple way to get another 175,000 more votes on Election Day 2011.
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To be fair, I did see Russel Norman out at the Avondale markets
Isnt Avondale part of the New Lynn electorate?
I guess a nearby attraction to your target will get a certain number of the punters you are aiming for... but it will get far more that cant help you, no? -
Me I go with what works: in a controlled experiment last year, the Electoral Commission found that people who got a text from the orange elections guy on the day had a 4.7% higher voting turnout.
Now that would be a simple way to get another 175,000 more votes on Election Day 2011.
I think your maths needs work.
If we could send the txt to 4 million people that might be possible, but 4 million people includes a whole heap who aren't allowed to vote.
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An excellent plan, but for one slight drawback: we have not had university electorates for some decades now. Voters are required to register in the electorates where they live, which might be some way from University.
Or it might not. Remember, out-of-town students live in their university electorate too. This is about getting people to choose to register there, rather than whereever their parents live (and arguably, its more their community of interest than whatever Cthulhu-forsaken cowtown they only go back to for the holidays)
For people with multiple residences, where you live for electoral purposes is entirely a matter of choice. Thats why for example John Key is on the electoral roll for Helensville, despite not actually living there in any real sense.
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Remember, out-of-town students live in their university electorate too
Not strictly -- in Wgtn, students are split between Rongotai and Wellington Central (Vic's in Wgtn Central) & possibly Ohariu-Belmont? Not sure about Auckland or Dunedin. In Christchurch students are split between Wigram, Ilam (Canterbury's in Ilam), and Chch Central.
Out of town students often reside in an electorate which is nearer to their uni than to their holiday residence, but it mightn't be the one where university is, and there may well be no one electorate where the overwhelming bulk of students live.
The prospects of registering a bunch of Green students in any one electorate looks pretty dim tbh.
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The prospects of registering a bunch of Green students in any one electorate looks pretty dim tbh.
You could do it in Dunedin. But that's such a strong Labour seat that it wouldn't be worth it.
The point is though that students are a pretty heterogenous bunch, and vote all over the place. They slightly favour some parties, but not to the extent that trying to gerrymander electorates would be worth the effort. You'd invite a backlash too.
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Dunedin North, that is.
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One of the failings of lefties is always to assume that certain classes of people will always support the left: students, workers, ethnic minorities. Time and again, these assumptions are proven wrong, but the bitter truth does not make them go away.
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yes - Dunedin North - but history shows us that if Labour throws up a crap candidate even the Nats can win it.
Elections during exam time suck - if the Greens were smart they'd sign students up for early voting before the exams kicked in
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One of the failings of lefties is always to assume that certain classes of people will always support the left: students, workers, ethnic minorities. Time and again, these assumptions are proven wrong, but the bitter truth does not make them go away.
Another failing I've noticed is the arrogance of some which about matches the arrogance of some on the right.
For what we suffer these people I have no idea, but its not a pleasant experience.
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I think your maths needs work
Um, there were just on 3 million people enrolled to vote in 2008, and turnout was 79.5%. Now if that could have been boosted by 4.7% to 84.2%, that would have been a truckload more people voting.
That's empowerment.
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Um, there were just on 3 million people enrolled to vote in 2008, and turnout was 79.5%. Now if that could have been boosted by 4.7% to 84.2%, that would have been a truckload more people voting.
There's another flaw to the numbers,
Due to limitations of the technology. you cant receive a text message if you dont have a cell-phone. :)
But yes, cost effective methods of increasing the turn-out in ways that dont favour one party over another have got to be worthwhile.
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Um, there were just on 3 million people enrolled to vote in 2008, and turnout was 79.5%. Now if that could have been boosted by 4.7% to 84.2%, that would have been a truckload more people voting.
Ah yup. But not the figure you came up with - 175,000.
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Due to limitations of the technology. you cant receive a text message if you dont have a cell-phone. :)
I'd also like to think state agencies aren't going to start spamming the cell phones of people who are under statutory obligation to supply their contact details. I don't think badgering people to vote trumps their right to privacy.
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Brickley Paiste, go back under the bridge - the three billy goat's Gruff will be along shortly.
Ok, will do. Thanks. I'm not sure what you mean but I will.
Why? Because you think they'd be better able to represent an ethnically diverse electorate?
Yes. The same way I think it would be good to have an ethnically diverse police force -- which we also don't have.
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The same way I think it would be good to have an ethnically diverse police force -- which we also don't have.
I should point out that the police put a lot of effort into trying to increase ethical and gender diversity in the police. They actively recruit Maori, Pacific Island, Asian and female police officers. Takes a long time to have that flow through an organisation when some officers have 30 year careers in the job.
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