Why we should care about local elections
Illustrated by Sara Moana (she/her)
Voting for the first time is so exciting, my first general election is a core memory for me. In reality, I had the opportunity to exercise my right to vote the year before in the local election, but I decided not to. Three years later, in the build-up to the 2022 local elections, I found myself debating with myself about whether I would vote this time round. I always tell people I would never choose not to vote; I once told my girlfriend I would break up with her if she chose not to vote in a general election. The thing is, voting in a local election is vitally important for decisions that will impact us in a similar way to voting in a general election. It’s not just me that doesn’t feel motivated to participate in local elections, youth participation in local elections is dismally low. Part of this is due to the lack of targeting the youth population, and the mail-in vote system.
No one believes in youth involvement in local elections more than Jean Donaldson. As a part of the Toi Āria team at Massey, helped design the Get Vocal in Your Local tool, created with the Minister of Local Government. Working on this tool helped solidify her belief in the importance of youth participation in local elections.
“Local government is more influential than young people realise, often more so than central government. If you care about women, Māori, queer people, disabled people, climate change, and literally anything you should be voting in local elections,” Jean says.
A lot of us might consider local government to pale in comparison to the work that happens in central government. Local governments are not responsible for passing bills that impact all of New Zealand, but they do have the power to make very tangible changes in our day-to-day lives.
“I like to think about it like this: Yes, the central government can pass laws protecting women's rights, but local governments are the ones who can put more lighting on the street, or cameras to keep women safe. Only 35% of young people vote in local elections, and over 80% of those aged 65 plus do. I don’t know about you, but I am not going to let a bunch of old people decide what happens in my city.”
The statistics on youth participation in voting are certainly depressing. We don’t think about how the people making decisions, and who elects them might impact our day-to-day life.
Kate is 22 and voted in her first general election and is proud of doing so, she was excited to have her voice heard on the End-of-Life bill and cannabis referendums. However, she didn't vote in the previous local election, and she hasn’t enrolled to vote in the 2022 local election either.
“When I think about local government from the perspective of a renter, I don’t think a lot of the decisions they make impact me. I’ve moved houses every year since I moved to Wellington and I’ve been a part of three different electorates during that time. I think I never saw the point of voting for someone in my local area because I know it’s likely that the following year I’ll be in a different part of the city where the person I voted for will not be in charge of decisions that impact me,” she says.
Kate’s mum is 49 and lives in the Waikato. She always votes in both local and general elections so she feels she has a say in what happens in her area.
“I like to have my finger on the pulse as to what is happening in our city, I think if you don’t vote then you can’t complain about what’s happening. I think voting in local elections is really important, but the campaign to get people to vote isn’t designed to draw young people in. I also think it’s difficult to find candidates who are relatable to younger voters,” she says.
There are more hurdles in place when you want to vote in a local election, the process is done through mail-in/drop-off voting papers, whereas in a general election you can rock up the voting site and have it done then and there. Information on who to vote for in local elections is less accessible to youth voters. The campaigns aren’t centralised, which means if you want information about a candidate, you often need to seek it out yourselves. In a general election, the party you support will announce their policies and it will often be covered on a national level. We’re also taught to believe that exercising our right to vote is especially important for general elections, but not as many resources are put into encouraging us to participate on a local scale.
Despite low participation rates, a lot of people are going to get out and vote for their local government in the next few weeks. Ruby has always voted in general and local elections and is excited to do it again this year.
“Do you want more trees planted? More cycle routes? Better road signage? These changes are made by your local council. I’m also voting because there are specific candidates who are definitely not aligned with what I believe in, so I would rather give them a fight than just let them win by not voting,” Ruby says.
The official deadline for getting your enrollment for local elections was the 16th of August this year, but if you still want to enrol and have your voice heard you can contact your local Electoral Officer and request special voting papers - it’s not too late!
If you’re still on the fence, do some research into who is standing in your local area, and who the candidates are for mayor. If you find policies you definitely don’t want to come into play, then the only thing you can do is vote. Of course, if you do find a candidate you believe will make a difference then support them by voting.